The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is
of the United States and Canada
By the righteousness of God! Were he that treadeth the path of guidance and seeketh to scale the heights of righteousness to attain unto this glorious and supreme station, he will inhale at a distance of a thousand leagues the fragrance of God, and will discern the resplendent morn of Divine Guidance rising above the dayspring of all things. Each and every thing, however small, will be to him a revelation, leading him to his Beloved, the Object of his quest. So great shall be the discernment of this Seeker that he will discriminate between truth and falsehood even as he doth distinguish the suit from shadow. If in the uttermost corners of the East the sweet savors of God be wafted, he will assuredly recognize and inhale their fragrance, even though he be dwelling in the uttermost ends of the West. He will likewise clearly distinguish all the signs of God—His wondrous utterances, His great works, and mighty deeds—from the doings, words, and ways of men, even as the jeweler knoweth the gem from the stone, and even as man distinguisheth spring from autumn and heat from cold.
“THE MOST GREAT SIN”[edit]
A letter from the National Spiritual Assembly
Beloved Friends in El-Abhá:
The National Spiritual Assembly begs to extend to you the loving greetings of its members in these days when the hour of renewed construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is almost upon us. It is certain that with the raising of the Temple edifice in the mid-most heart of the continent, the attention of the public in that region will be concentrated upon the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and upon the believers of those centers as never before.
Outside the Cause and in the highways of the world, the newspapers constantly record with flaring headlines innumerable instances involving deviation from the divine laws as well as the laws of the human world, but the Bahá’í communities are, or are designed to be, dwellings of peace and happiness in which the voice of cheerfulness and deeds of loving service are witnessed. Especially are we favored and admonished through the voice of the Supreme Pen in the promulgation of the command relative to back—biting, rumor spreading and gossip, as well as the descent into mere personal controversies and misunderstandings. Could we realize how instances of this nature afflict the Cause, how this subtle poison attacks the integrity of its sensitive fabric, we would one and all cleave to the divine principle. “Everlasting felicity,” the Master promises, awaits the human world, and the glorification of the spirit will be seen when we have freed ourselves from this age-old affliction. The Master gives us the remedy, i. e., that the balm for this poison and the remedy for this disease is the upliftment of the tongue in praise of one another and the exaltation of the virtues of the friends. Union and consultation, moreover, are the pillars of our collective Bahá’í household.
In a Tablet to Dr. N. G. Skinner, Washington, D. C, revealed August 12, 1913, at Ramleh, Egypt, ‘Abdul Bahá said:
“Thou hast written regarding thy aims. How blessed are these aims, especially the prevention of back—biting! I hope that you may become confirmed therein, because the worst human quality and the most great sin is backbiting; more especially when it emanates from the believers of God. If some means were devised so that the doors of back—biting could be shut eternally and each one of the believers of God unsealed his tongue in the praise of the other, then the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh would be spread, the hearts illumined, the spirits glorified and the human world would attain to everlasting felicity.”
“I hope that the believers of God will shun completely back–biting, each one praising the other cordially and believe that back-biting is the cause of the Divine wrath, to such an extent that if a person back–bites to the extent of one word, he may become dishonored among all the people, because the most hateful characteristic of man is faultfinding. One must expose the praiseworthy qualities of the souls and not their evil attributes. The friends must overlook their shortcomings and faults and speak only of their virtues and not their defects.”
“It is related that His Holiness Christ—may my life be a sacrifice to Him!—One day, accompanied by His apostles, passed by the corpse of a dead animal. One of them said: ‘How putrid has this animal become!’ The other exclaimed: ‘How it is deformed!’ A third cried out: ‘What a stench! How cadavorous looking!’ But His Holiness Christ said: ‘Look at his teeth! How white they are!’ Consider that He did not look at all the defects of that animal; nay rather, He searched well until He found the beautiful white teeth. He observed only the whiteness of the teeth and overlooked entirely the deformity of the body, the dissolution of the organs and the bad odor.”
“This is the attribute of the children of the Kingdom. This is the conduct and the manners of real Bahá’ís. I hope that all the believers will attain to this lofty station.”
It is the hope and humble prayer of
the National Spiritual Assembly, at
whose direction this letter is being
sent, that not only the beloved friends
of the Bahá’í community shall be freed
from these entanglements, but that
they, also, the members of the National
Assembly, may advance to this resplendent
goal, and that we may thus all
find ourselves present together in that
loving unity that can only come
through obedience to the Divine command
which is none else than the
Mercy of God. Every believer of discernment
has learned through the[Page 2]
shock of experience how quickly the
lengthening shadows gather and the
divine confirmations flee away when
any one of the friends unlooses his
tongue in the arena of denunciation of
another.
‘Abdul-Bahá has told us plainly that these things are a product of the natural world and not of the Divine Kingdom; that through these means, the claws of nature seize upon the soul of man and prevent his flight. Through the Divine love and the power of the Holy Spirit, He tells us, lies the only pathway or exit from this dark enclosure.
The Covenant of God is like a crystal-pure mirror, upon whose sensitive, radiant surface is reflected the gathering storms of human hearts, and the shadow of every conscious deviation from the Divine Law of this Cycle. Spiritual and physical calamities, alike, flow from every disturbance of this divinely constituted equilibrium, which has a direct relationship to every believer.
May we, one and all, arise to a new consciousness of this matter, setting aside forever this indulgence and turning our faces sternly against its traces wherever found! May we altogether humbly supplicate the throne of the Ancient of Days that the deeds of the Bahá’í communities of the United States and Canada shall shine resplendent and in such wise as to attract the beloved friends to a station wherein the world shall say: “What love! What integrity! What shining deeds we witness among the Bahá’í’s!”
With Bahá’í love and greetings, and in behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly.
- Faithfully yours,
- Secretariat,
- Faithfully yours,
National Spiritual Assembly of the
- Bahá’ís of the United States and
- Canada.
- By: ALFRED E. LUNT.
June 25, 1930.
THE GUARDIAN TRANSLATES THE TABLET OF ’IQAN[edit]
A translation of the ’Iqán by Shoghi Effendi is news that will bring heartfelt joy to all English-reading believers. This Tablet, or Book, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh is the basis of modern spiritual insight and assurance. Knowledge of it infinitely surpasses the acquired knowledge of the schools.
The following letter written by Shoghi Effendi to the National Assembly through his secretary, refers to this translation:—
“As the ’Iqán is the most important book wherein Bahá’u’lláh explains the basic beliefs of the faith, he thought a proper rendering of it would infinitely enhance the teaching work in the West. He hopes that this new rendering will be an improvement on the previous one, but he fully admits that it is far from perfect, far from the original itself. Shoghi Effendi has given the proper transliteration of the Eastern terms and wants you to abide by them, keeping every dash, point, accent or inverted comma. To help you with this, he has also on a separate sheet written these in their proper form. He wishes you further not to include the introduction that exists in the last edition, for he does not think it worthwhile and enlightening. Drop also the glossary that exists at the end of the last edition and form a glossary using the definitions that he has sent to be put in the forthcoming Bahá’í World. As Shoghi Effendi has been emphasizing the need of submitting all publications to the Reviewing Committee, he wants to be the first to abide by that rule, though he hopes that they will not make unnecessary delay. In Germany they have translated the ’Iqán from the last translation and they are waiting for Shoghi Effendi’s rendering to make the necessary alterations and publish their own. The proceeds of the sale of the book Shoghi Effendi wishes to go to the American National Assembly in an unlabelled form. This is a gift of his own personal labors that he wishes to present that body and he wishes it to be considered as a token of appreciation for the help they have rendered him in carrying on his arduous task.”
“Unable to find a good typist, I have had to do the work myself, and I trust that the proofreaders will find it easy to go over and will not mind the type errors which I have tried to correct. I would especially urge you to adhere to the transliteration which I have adopted. The correct title is, I feel, ‘The Kitab-I-’Iqán,’ the sub-title ‘The Book of Certitude.’ May it help the friends to approach a step further, and obtain a clearer idea of the fundamental teachings set forth by Bahá’u‘láh.”
The Publishing Committee, with the approval of the National Assembly, is arranging to bring out this new translation in time for the next Annual Convention. Further details will be given in an early issue of BAHÁ’Í NEWS.
Meanwhile, the Publishing Committee has been authorized to sell copies of the old translation, which for many years has given us the privilege of access to this work, at the special price of $1.00 per copy.
PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BAHA’I WORLD VOLUME 3[edit]
Bahá’ís throughout the world are informed of the fact that The Bahá’í World, Volume 3, compiled and edited under the direction of Shoghi Effendi to represent the Bahá’í Cause during the period 1928-1930 will be published shortly after December 1, 1930. Assemblies and individuals are requested to send advance orders for copies at $2.50 each, postpaid, to the Bahá’í Publishing Committee, P. O. Box 348, Grand Central Station, New York City, New York, U. S. A.
The next issue of Bahá’í NEWS will publish a full list of contents of the volume, together with the Guardian’s words concerning the importance of this international Bahá’í record. At present, space is available merely for a brief preliminary announcement. Every adult believer will find volume 3 of The Bahá’í World a source of spiritual inspiration, a thrilling and deeply moving history of such significant current events as the episode of the Shrines of Bahá’u’lláh at Baghdad and the League of Nations; extensive newly translated passages from Bahá’í Sacred Writings; scholarly articles about different aspects of the Cause, and photographs of the most intense interest and permanent value.
The Bahá’í World, in brief, deepens and extends our sense of citizenship in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
ACCOUNTS OF NATIONAL TREASURER AUDITED AND APPROVED[edit]
The members of the National Spiritual
Assembly record for the information
of the believers the action taken
at the last Assembly meeting in receiving
the report of Wolf & Company,
Chicago, who had been authorized to
audit the accounts of Mr. Carl Scheffler,
former treasurer, covering the
period from July 1, 1926 to March 31,
1930, during which time sums amounting
to more than $600,000 had been
contributed to the various divisions of
the National Fund. Each item of the
thousands of individual transactions
representing receipts and expenditures
was checked and the accounts certified
to be in perfect condition with the exception[Page 3]
that a foreign contribution of
about $15 could not be traced, and two
rings which had been donated could
not be located. The rings have been
found in the records of the present
Treasurer, Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, and
the foreign contribution will undoubtedly
be traced by Mr. Mathisen. As
foreign checks are accepted by banks
as deposits subject to collection, it is
anticipated that this item will emerge
as a deposit of a later date than that
entered on the receipt issued for the
contribution.
The National Assembly recorded in its minutes an expression of sincere congratulations to Mr. Scheffler for his self-sacrificing, responsible and accurate work as Treasurer, and the Assembly feels assured that its attitude will be universally shared by the friends.
MEMORANDUM ON BAHA’I TEMPLE SUB-CONTRACTS[edit]
Sept. 1st to Oct. 8th, 1930
| Amount | Savings | ||
| Structural Steel | $ 38,500 | $ 1,085.00 | |
| Masonry | 106,500 | 6,183.00 | |
| Plumbing | 15,200 | 800.00 | |
| Erect. of Structural Steel | 13,910 | 1,505.00 | |
| Glass Dome | 35,000 | 4,000.00 | |
| Ornamental Iron | 15,032 | 4,418.00 | |
| Electrical Work (conduits and boxes) | 4,000 | 176.00 | |
| TOTAL | $18,167.00 | ||
| Saved on cost of contract for National Bahá’í Temple Fund (80% of this reduction) | $14,533.60 |
REPORTS FROM TEACHING COMMITTEE[edit]
1.—Results of August Teachers Conference in Green Acre.
The August Teachers Conference in Green Acre has proved to be the starting point for a revival of teaching enthusiasm throughout the country as is indicated by the response of the regional centers to the suggestions which went forth as a result of these sessions.
Viewed in retrospect the theme of those intense hours of inspiration and mounting fervor revolved around the question uppermost in the hearts of all, namely, How can we increase the number of Bahá’ís? In the consultations of The National Teaching Committee that followed this gathering of the friends the results in the form of teaching objectives were stated.
A. There is need at this time of a group of American believers who are willing to rededicate themselves to the service of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh toward the end of establishing in the eyes of the world an ideal of Bahá’í life. These people, for whom the heart of the Master yearned, shall devote themselves to teaching—by their words and more particularly by their deeds and bearing, in whatever sphere of activity they may have been placed, striving to the utmost to exemplify the characteristics of the true teacher as described by Those Whose word is our law.
How can these divine qualities be achieved save by close obedience to the divine exhortations? The soil of our inner life from which these fruits shall grow, is rendered fertile by increased concentration and fervor in prayer, by reading and memorizing the Divine Words in such a way that they become incorporated in our innermost being, and by endeavoring always to establish the perfect balance of work and worship which constitutes the complete Bahá’í life. We are called to partake more abundantly and to show forth a proportionate increase of activity throughout the channels of energy—material, intellectual, spiritual which characterize our respective lives.
B. The Cause will be spread by the growth of inter-Assembly cooperation. Beyond the unit of the Bahá’í group to which we organically belong we must begin the building of a wider unity extending to nearby centers. Divided into convenient teaching districts it is hoped that the friends will come together frequently to inspire, encourage, and promote such local responsibilities as the training of teachers, the circulation of inter-Assembly teachers and pioneer expansion into undeveloped fields.
C. An ideal public approach is in the process of evolving in which the principles of modern psychology form a sound basis. Not only must we try to analyze the present needs of the public and meet them with greater imagination and flexibility, but we must create new needs by our radiant upholding of the Divine Standard. The public Bahá’í meeting must become exceptional in its beauty, its scientific soundness, its spiritual uplift, so that it will by its attractiveness draw increasing numbers to “the Right Path.”
D. The time is at hand for the Bahá’í approach to groups, especially through group leaders. The systematizing of such contacts has become one of our most pressing considerations. The process of carrying our fire to their fagots, first, by the close study of their interests and problems, then by calling round-table discussions —economic, inter—racial, inter-religious in character, by the exchange of literature, by placing our competent speakers on their platforms and extending hospitality to theirs, will undoubtedly widen the fringe of those interested in the universal answer contained in the Bahá’í Teachings.
In short, new Bahá’ís are made by attraction to individual lives of radiance and vigor, by the spread of group unity and efficiency directed toward the problem of teaching, by meetings that strike a note of profundity, spiritual fragrance and interest not experienced elsewhere, and by a satisfying answer to the problems of a world which in its transitional period we are especially qualified to understand.
2.—Conference Objectives Outlined.
In a September letter to the Bahá’í centers who, by reason of their geographical relationship to the designated district were called upon to inaugurate the district conference plan, Mr. R. C. Collison, Chairman of the National Teaching Committee, wrote:
The National Teaching Committee suggests that in your conferences certain definite objectives might be kept in mind:
A. A new impetus and inspiration should be given to all believers and
|
Address for Correspondence News Editor Office of the Secretariat Evergreen Cabin West Englewood, New Jersey BAHÁ’I NEWS is the official organ of the American National Spiritual Assembly. Its cost is defrayed from the National Bahá’í Fund and copies are distributed free of charge to recognized believers throughout the United States and Canada, and to National and Local Spiritual Assemblies in other lands. News articles and reports of general Bahá’í interest and value are requested from Assemblies, National Committees and other representatives of the Cause. The Guardian’s statement concerning the purpose and scope of this publication can be found in the volume entitled “Bahá’í Administration.” |
Construction of Mashriqu’l- Adhkár, Photograph No.1—Before Construction was resumed.
particularly to all potential teachers in
your district.
B. Inter—Assembly cooperation including frequent exchange of your local teachers should be arranged.
C. Definite plans should be made to spread the Cause into new territory.
D. Isolated Bahá’ís in your district should be urged to attend the conferences and encouraged to seek active support and assistance in teaching available through your inter-Assembly organization.
E. A large meeting for the general public should be held if possible during the conference. The type and organization of this meeting should be determined by the local group. General Bahá’í and racial amity meetings are among the best.
F. A District Secretary should be elected by the Bahá’ís of your district at your first conference. We suggest that your inter-Assembly committee be composed of one representative from each Assembly in your district and one member-at-large representing the smaller groups and isolated believers. It would be the duty of the District Secretary and his inter-Assembly supporting committee (a) to coordinate and supervise the district plans for teaching discussed at your inter—Assembly conferences, (b) to arrange for the organization of future district teaching conferences at intervals of two or three months, (c) to be the point of contact for your district with the National Teaching Committee, (d) to submit full reports of all your district conferences and teaching efforts to the National Teaching Committee so that teaching items may be published each month in the BAHÁ’Í NEWS.
Our Committee believes that it may be able to assist your district teaching activities in the following ways:
A. We are preparing to establish a bureau of information concerning liberal organizations and leaders of thought in each district with whom it might be desirable for the Bahá’ís to contact. Also the names and addresses of people in your region who have heard of the Cause through our traveling teachers or otherwise and who are sympathetic or interested, will soon be available to your District Secretary.
B. We will endeavor to furnish a traveling teacher at your request who will help in your conference and public meeting and who will stay in your district for a time following the conference for intensive teaching and follow-up work.
It would seem, judging by the enthusiastic approval accorded this district plan by the National Spiritual Assembly and the friends gathered at Green Acre, that it may prove an effective means for the inauguration of a more determined and united teaching effort. Our appeal for cooperation in this suggested program is in response to Shoghi Effendi’s expressed desire for the rapid and effective spread of the Cause at this time.
3.—First Inter-Assembly Teaching Conferences.
The first response to the plan of the National Teaching Committee for the holding of Inter-Assembly teaching conferences came from the Assembly at Lansing, Michigan. Named as the geographical center for the Michigan district, they called a conference, September 14th, at which thirty-four friends from the Bahá’í communities of Muskegon, Ann Arbor and Detroit were present.
Guest speakers from outside the district, Mrs. Robert L. Moffett of Chicago, Mrs. Sito of Honolulu and Mr. and Mrs. Howard Ives contributed to the discussion. An active teaching campaign was planned of which the four new study groups formed are an indication of the renewed life which all agree is being felt in this wideawake section of the country referred to by ’Abdul-Bahá, as the “heart of America.”
On September 28th an “All-Ohio Conference” was called in Cincinnati. Miss Hilda Stauss, secretary of the Southern Ohio District writes: “Cincinnati has always seemed to be so far from the active centers but now we seem to be linked a little closer to the other groups. It stimulates activity, encourages us to renew our efforts to spread the teachings, is beneficial in the exchange of ideas, and last but not least we become better acquainted-with each other.”
The next inter-Assembly conference was held in Geneva, New York, October 18th and 19th, at which about forty-five Bahá’ís were present including friends from Buffalo, Binghamton, Rochester, Ithaca and Syracuse. At the opening session on Saturday evening, Mr. Louis Gregory spoke on “The need and Preparation of Bahá’í Teachers.” He said, “There are two kinds of teachers, those who teach by deeds and those who teach by words and deeds. . . We can serve humanity in various ways and this service is the foundation of the Kingdom of God. Teaching by words necessitates skill in discerning the needs of the people. . . Bahá’u’llah gives the greatest station to those who give up their lives to teaching. The greatest confirmation comes to those who spread the message. Every one who has the sincere desire in his heart can teach. No Bahá’í teacher is qualified to teach everybody, but everybody who has the truth in his heart can teach someone. Teaching will bring to light new capacities in the one who does it. . . We must prepare through prayer morning and evening, and use the words created by God—make them part of our equipment. . . You come into the presence of God when you study the divine Word and capacities and potentialities of your being of which you did not dream, will be aroused so that you will be able to teach.”
On Sunday the discussion centered around the exchange of teachers in an inter—Assembly program. The committee composed of inter-Assembly representatives and two members of the National Teaching Committee withdrew to draw up the following emergency resolutions which were later passed by the body of the conference:
A. That those assembled hand into the inter-Assembly secretary at the close of the afternoon a list of topics which in their opinion would be suitable for exchange programs in the coming months.
B. That volunteers be called for,
to speak or conduct meetings outside[Page 5]
of their own group.
C. That the list of volunteers be considered from two points of view in the arrangement of the programs. a. Ask for experienced teachers where attracted people and possible strangers may be present. b. Ask whenever possible for inexperienced volunteers who will gain experience by arising to assist. In this connection the committee also suggested that the same appeal be made to isolated believers with regard to the exchange of speakers.
D. That each group make an effort to stimulate and train volunteers among its own members to carry on inter-Assembly teaching in the future. It is expected that study and teaching classes will be formed to supply these needs.
Mr. Leslie R Hawthorn, District representative of the Geneva Assembly in reporting this meeting writes, “When the chairman called for volunteers practically every hand was raised, indicating the splendid spirit all were displayed in their endeavor to assist in this new experiment of inter-Assembly cooperation. . . . As those gathered together partook of tea, before many set out on their return journeys one felt, as snatches of conversation were overheard here and there, that the spirit of cooperation already existed and was working in the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. There was a happy expectancy regarding the programs during the coming year, and all seemed to be looking forward to the general plan of inter-Assembly teaching which would bring everyone together more frequently and in a vital all-important enterprise.”
On October 5th a central California conference was held in San Francisco followed by a southern California gathering in Los Angeles two weeks later. Other conferences have been announced as follows:
New York and West Englewood, October 25th and 26th.
Chicago and Wilmette, November 8th and 9th.
Washington, D. C., November 8th and 9th.
Plans for Boston and the Northern Ohio district are reported under way. The results of these important teaching events will appear in an early issue of BAHÁ’I NEWS.
4.—Informal Bahá’í Gatherings Held During the Spring and Summer.
News of a number of delightful Bahá’í picnics, coming to us during the summer season, mark an increasing attraction to such informal group gatherings of the friends. A large weekend party was held in Binghamton in
Construction of Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Photograph No. 2—October 8, 1930.
May followed by the Blossom Picnic in Geneva at which about 130 were present. While the West Englewood Souvenir Feast was in progress a Bahá’í Youth meeting was being held in Binghamton at which guests from Geneva, Rochester, Pittsburg and Montreal were entertained. Another overnight picnic in the Western New York section, was held at Ithaca in August at the invitation of Tom Martin. Many guests from nearby centers attended. Two Michigan picnics were held on June 22nd, one at Fruitport under the arrangement of the Muskegon friends and the other at the ranch of Mr. L. W. Eggleston, near Flint.
The following excerpt has been taken from a letter by Dr. Zia Baghdadi:
“The largest number of Bahá’ís that ever met together in the State of Wisconsin was the one held on last Sunday, August 10th, near the city of Racine. It was an inter–racial, international Bahá’í picnic arranged by the Bahá’ís of Milwaukee. On that morning trains and automobiles and even Mr. Peter Nelson’s trucks were loaded with friends who came from Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Wilmette, Evanston, Chicago and Washington, D. C.”
“The place was a gentle hill at the shore of Lake Michigan where many of the youth and children enjoyed a dip in the cool waters of the lake, others played different games; while some of the men made the fire the ladies opened their baskets and prepared the noon dinner which was served in the open air under beautiful apple trees. This was followed by an interesting program which was opened by prayers and chanting . . . inspiring addresses were delivered by members of the various Assemblies. Children sang Bahá’í hymns. We certainly wish to congratulate the Bahá’í Assembly of Milwaukee for the great success of this meeting.”
- Teaching Committee of the
- National Spiritual Assembly,
- REGINALD COLLISON Chairman
- DORIS McKAY, Secretary
- LOUIs G. GREGORY Secretary
- of Inter–Racial Amity Activities:
- ALBERT D. HEIST
- MAY MAXWELL
They Who are the Luminaries of truth and the Mirrors reflecting the light of the unity of God, in whatever age and cycle they are sent down from their invisible habitations of ancient glory unto this world, to educate the souls of men and endue with grace all created things, are invariably endowed with an all–compelling power, and invested with invincible sovereignty. For these hidden Gems, these concealed and invisible Treasures, in themselves manifest and vindicate the reality of these holy words: “Verily God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth.”
THE GUARDIAN DEFINES SIGNIFICANCE OF CORNERSTONE LAID BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHA[edit]
In view of the attitude expressed by many of the friends, and the action of the delegates at a recent Annual Convention, the following statement on the subject of the corner-stone at the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár received by the National Assembly from the Guardian’s secretary is recorded at this time: “Concerning the corner-stone of the Temple, which was laid by the Master, Shoghi Effendi says that it has no other special significance than a great honor conferred by the Master upon that building and it should be treated as a corner-stone and nothing more.”
This statement makes it clear that it would be inadvisable to regard the corner-stone as a Shrine having a deeper significance than any other portion of the Temple. The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in its entirety is a Shrine in that it is an institution ordained by Bahá’u’lláh.
AMENDMENT TO BY-LAW CONTROLLING ELECTION OF CONVENTION DELEGATES[edit]
Article VIII, Section 1, of the By-Laws adopted by the National Assembly stated that “all delegates to the Convention shall be elected by plurality vote of those present at their election.” The phrase “of those present” can only be interpreted as depriving believers unable to be physically present of their right to vote at these elections, whereas in the case of other Bahá’í elections, believers unavoidably absent (as in the case of the Annual Convention) are allowed to vote by mail or telegram. To bring about uniformity of procedure, the National Spiritual Assembly has amended this by-law to read as follows: “Article VIII, Section 1. All delegates to the Convention shall be elected by plurality vote. Members who, by reason of illness or some equally unavoidable circumstance, are unable to be present at the election in person shall have the right to transmit their ballots by mail or telegram under conditions satisfactory to the local Spiritual Assembly.”
This amended by-law will apply at the elections held for delegates to the 1931 Annual Convention.
STATUS OF LOCAL BAHA’I GROUPS[edit]
With the institution of the local Spiritual Assemblies in localities having nine believers or more, as instructed by Shoghi Effendi, the National
Construction of Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Photograph No. 3—October 23, 1930.
Spiritual Assembly could no longer
recognize as Bahá’í bodies those smaller
local groups which under the by-laws
of Bahá’í Temple Unity had enjoyed
a status equal to that possessed
by believers in centers able to elect a
Spiritual Assembly.
For several years, however, the National Assembly has endeavored, to cooperate with the smaller groups by listing them in the Directory used for Bahá’í correspondence and sending them, through their secretaries, copies of BAHÁ’Í NEWS and other National Assembly communications.
It has become evident that such a “half–way house” between an isolated believer and a recognized local Bahá’í community represents a special condition for which the National Assembly has a spiritual responsibility requiring careful thought. This subject was considered at the last meeting of the Assembly, with the result that the following resolution was adopted: “After consideration of the best means to promote the distribution of the BAHÁ’Í NEWS to believers in unorganized localities, it was voted to adopt as a general policy the attitude of dealing with all these friends as individual relationships with this body, urging them to gather together any scattered groups in their vicinity and organize an Assembly, and (meanwhile) issue the BAHÁ’Í NEWS directly to the individuals concerned instead of through unorganized group action as hitherto. It was further voted to bring this policy to the attention of the groups through a statement in BAHÁ’Í NEWS, impressing upon them the opportunity afforded through the administrative plan for combining various small groups, scattered through a larger area, into a single organized Assembly.”
The National Assembly trusts that many of these groups will arise to act in bringing about consultation among neighboring groups, to the end that wherever nine or more declared believers reside near enough to each other to make attendance at one central meeting feasible, these believers will proceed next April 21 to the election of a local Spiritual Assembly under the conditions defined in the administrative by-laws. The difference between informal Bahá’í groups and duly constituted Bahá’í communities is that members of the latter bodies are responsible citizens of the worldwide Bahá’í commonwealth, having voting rights recognized by the National Assembly and are duly recorded as Bahá’ís in the records of the Assembly. Essential to complete spiritual experience and maturity in the Cause of God in these days is the fulfillment of the sacred trusts and relationships created by the Manifestation, interpreted by the Center of His Covenant and promulgated by the Guardian of His Faith and Law.
Groups desiring information and advice are cordially invited to write the National Assembly. BAHÁ’I NEWS will be sent to group secretaries until lists of these believers are sent in.
THE PRINCIPLE OF BAHA’I FREEDOM[edit]
A Statement Concerning the Episode of The New History Society
Because of certain misunderstandings that still prevail among a few believers, the National Spiritual Assembly feels it advisable to issue this further statement, supplementing and confirming the statement published in the BAHÁ’Í NEWS for August, 1930, regarding the episode of The New History Society.
The desire of the National Assembly is to so clarify the matter by recording the various steps leading to the adoption of the previous statement that no doubts may remain in a single Bahá’í heart. It will be understood by every believer that the following quotations and brief explanatory remarks are intended to deepen our collective unity within the institutions of the Cause, and The New History Society is referred to merely as an episode in our Bahá’í experience.
It is devoutly believed that careful consideration of the matter as here presented will remove these definite sources of misunderstanding and, consequently, sources of disunity among the believers. The New History Society itself is relative to the discussion only as having occasioned a temporary test to a number of Bahá’ís. The definite sources of misunderstanding to be removed are, first, that the Guardian has ever or will ever sanction any activity as “Bahá’í” which stands in opposition or indifference to the permanent general principles of administration given us under the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; second, that the Guardian could ever conceivably be so misled by false or inaccurate communications from any source that his instructions are subject to personal interpretation; and third, that the guidance or inspiration felt by any group of believers possesses a superior spiritual validity to the deliberations of a duly elected Spiritual Assembly and thus justifies opposition to the Assembly in relation to any given situation. There might be added, finally, as another source of misunderstanding, the view that the Cause can be “split” or its unity endangered by conscious separation of loyal believers from activities maintained outside of the recognized Bahá’í institutions. The only disunity that can be called Bahá’í disunity is that which exists among believers themselves, and more particularly that which affects a local or National Assembly. Any activity, or any person, troubling and estranging believers is by that very fact, and irrespective of any formal measures taken by an Assembly, to be shunned by those who are loyal to the Will of Bahá’u’lláh.
With this prefatory statement, let us consider the following quotations which directly or indirectly bear upon the subject under consideration.
- 1. The Kitabu’l-Aqdas
“The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of Justice be established, wherein shall gather counsellors to the number of Bahá and should it exceed this number, it shall not matter. It behooveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful amongst men and to regard themselves as the guardians appointed of God for all that dwell on earth. . . Beware lest ye put away that which is clearly revealed in His Tablet. . .
“O ye Men of Justice! Be ye in the realm of God shepherds unto His sheep, and guard them from the ravening wolves that have appeared in disguise, even as ye would guard your own sons. . . .
“Take heed lest the changes and chances of this world of self and passion divide you, nay be even as fingers of one hand, the members of one body. . . .
“Consider the peoples of the world and the littleness of their mind! They ask for that which is harmful unto them and forsake the thing that profiteth them. They verily are of them that have gone astray. We see some men desiring liberty and taking pride therein; they verily are wrapt in grievous ignorance. Liberty endeth in strife and sedition, the flame whereof cannot be extinguished. . . . Know ye in truth that the example and symbol of liberty is the brute and it behooveth man to be under laws and regulations that shall guard him from his own ignorance and the harm of the mischief makers. Verily, liberty causeth man to transgress the bounds of courtesy and dignity and maketh of him one of them that are of low degree. . . . Say, to have liberty is to observe My commandments, if ye be of them that perceive. Should men follow that which We have revealed unto them from the Heavens of Divine Revelation, they would of a certainty attain unto absolute freedom.”
- 2. The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
“O my loving friends! After the passing away of this wronged one, it is incumbent upon the Aghsan (Branches), the Afnan (Twigs) of the Sacred Lote-Tree, the Hands (pillars) of the Cause of God and the loved ones of the Abhá Beauty to turn unto Shoghi Effendi—the youthful branch branched from the two hallowed and sacred Lote-Trees and the fruit grown from the union of the two offshoots of the Tree of Holiness—as he is the sign of God, the chosen branch, the guardian of the Cause of God, he unto whom all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God and His loved ones must turn. He is the expounder of the words of God and after him will succeed the first-born of his lineal descendants. . . . The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the guardian of the Cause of God. . . He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Bahá’u’lláh) be repeated when the Center of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others. No doubt every vainglorious one that purposeth dissension and discord will not openly declare his evil purposes, nay rather, even as impure gold, would he cease (seize?) upon divers measures and various pretexts that he may separate the gathering of the people of Bahá. My object is to show that the Hands of the Cause of God must be ever watchful and so soon as they find anyone beginning to oppose and protest against the guardian of the Cause of God cast him out from the congregation of the people of Bahá and in no wise accept any excuse from him. How often hath grievous error been disguised in the garb of truth, that it might sow the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men!”
- 3. Baha’i Administration, by Shoghi Effendi
“This clearly places heavy responsibilities
on the local as well as national
Assemblies, which in the course of
time will evolve, with the Master’s
power and guidance, into the local and
national Houses of Justice. Hence the
vital necessity of having a local Spiritual
Assembly in every locality where
the number of declared believers exceeds
nine, and of making provision
for the indirect election of a Body that
shall adequately represent the interests
of all the friends and Assemblies
throughout the American Continent.
. . . Furthermore, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reveals
the following:—‘It is incumbent
upon every one not to take any step
without consulting the Spiritual Assembly,[Page 8]
and they must assuredly obey
with heart and soul its bidding and be
submissive unto it, that things may be
properly ordered and well arranged.
Otherwise every person will act independently
and after his own judgment,
will follow his own desire, and do
harm to the Cause.’ . . . Not only
with regard to publication, but all matters
without any exception whatsoever,
regarding the interests of the Cause
in that locality, individually or collectively,
should be referred exclusively
to the Spiritual Assembly in that locality,
which shall decide upon it, unless
it be a matter of national interest, in
which case it shall be referred to the
national body. . . . Full harmony,
however, as well as cooperation among
the various local assemblies and the
members themselves, and particularly
between each assembly and the national
body, is of the utmost importance,
for upon it depends the unity of the
Cause of God, the solidarity of the
friends, the full, speedy and efficient
working of the spiritual activities of
His loved ones.” . . . March 5, 1922.
“These challenging criticisms, whether or not dictated by malice, cannot but serve to galvanize the souls of its ardent supporters, and to consolidate the ranks of its faithful promoters. They will purge the Faith from those pernicious elements whose continued association with the believers tends to discredit the fair name of the Cause, and to tarnish the purity of its spirit. We should welcome, therefore, not only the open attacks which its avowed enemies persistently launch against it, but should also view as a blessing in disguise every storm of mischief with which they who apostatize their faith or claim to be its faithful exponents assail it from time to time. Instead of undermining the Faith, such assaults, both from within and from without, reinforce its foundations, and excite the intensity of its flame. . . . Unlike the Dispensation of Christ, unlike the Dispensation of Muhammad, unlike all the Dispensations of the past, the apostles of Bahá’u’lláh in every land, wherever they labor and toil, have before them in clear, in unequivocal and emphatic language, all the laws, the regulations, the principles, the institutions, the guidance, they require for the prosecution and consummation of their task.” March 31, 1930.
- 4. Letter from National Assembly to Mrs. Chanler
(March 25, 1929)
“The members of the National Spiritual Assembly desire to express their most cordial appreciation of your courtesy in permitting them to read the letter you have received from Shoghi Effendi. It was indeed a privilege to share this message of good will from the Guardian, especially in view of the great burden of responsibility he bears in connection with the activities of the Cause throughout the world.
“From this and other letters, the National Assembly is aware of Shoghi Effendi’s hopes that the Cause here in New York will continually enlarge and extend its public teaching activities, and in fact become a brilliant example of Bahá’í success and influence for other cities. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent the greater portion of His time, during His American visit, in New York City, we all may rightly judge the importance to be attached to every sincere and effective effort to serve in His footsteps.
“The National Assembly, therefore, is anxious to make it clear to you that its members unreservedly desire to assist and cooperate in every possible way to assure the complete success of the public meetings held under your auspices and announced as Bahá’í meetings.
“We realize of course that you have not requested this cooperation, but this very fact makes it the more essential that we offer you at this time an explanation of what we conceive to be, from the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as well as from the letters of Shoghi Effendi, the conditions essential to successful Bahá’í service in the teaching field.
“A Cause established to realize the oneness of humanity must be unified in its workers and representatives. It differs from philosophical and ethical systems in that it does not merely uphold abstract doctrines to be accepted, but has created an organic body of service including all individuals who are Bahá’ís. Its teachings are not an oral tradition, come down through several human personalities, which compels individual interpretation, but are in writings given forth by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá themselves. Thus, there cannot be a Bahá’í Cause composed of different congregations or groups independent one of another, but every Bahá’í lives as one member of a worldwide community, his private and personal life remaining his own affair, but his activities insofar as they represent the Cause or employ the name of the Cause being subject to the organic laws given that Bahá’í community as part of the teachings.
“We touch upon these facts for the reason that Bahá’í service cannot yield fruitful results outside the influence of those organic laws. The consecrating, spirit of the Master, and the power of Bahá’u’lláh, flows through the Channels they themselves created, and the activities and movements which remain in the world will not become part of the new age.
“In a recent letter from the Guardian we find these words: ‘By leaving certain matters unspecified and unregulated in His Book of Laws, Bahá’u’lláh seems to have deliberately left a gap in the general scheme of Bahá’í Dispensation, which the unequivocal provisions of the Master’s Will has filled. To attempt to divorce the one from the other, to insinuate that the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh have not been upheld, in their entirety and with absolute integrity, by what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has revealed in His Will, is an unpardonable affront to the unswerving fidelity that has characterized the life and labors of our beloved Master. . . . To dissociate the administrative principles of the Cause from the purely spiritual and humanitarian teachings would be tantamount to a mutilation of the body of the Cause, a separation that can only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith itself.’
“Until one has grasped the deeper significance of the Cause, such emphatic statements may seem arbitrary, involving a surrender of some of the most precious elements of personal freedom and initiative, but when studied against the whole background of the teachings we appreciate the fact that all a Bahá’í is expected to yield is the dubious right to mis–interpret the Cause and confuse it publicly with his own individual opinions and beliefs. This is therefore not a sacrifice, but a privilege, especially in connection with the fact that whole-hearted participation in the common tasks and services of a Bahá’í community brings a priceless opportunity of education in the divine art of living. . . .
“Our hope, therefore, is that you will consult personally or enter into communication with the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New York in the matter of your present and future plans which involve the Bahá’í name and teachings, in order that these activities may be blessed with the confirmation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, spread in this city which He termed ‘The City of the Covenant’ the very essence of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and create for you an honor and glory that will endure in the history of the Cause.”
- 5. Mrs. Chanler’s Reply
(April 3, 1929)
“. . . Two thousand years ago, in an age of ignorance and servitude, the Word of God appeared upon the earth, and the Word was free. Now in these enlightened times, when liberty is the heritage of all men (when incidentally they exact it), the Word of God returns to them without limitations. I believe this because I consider the Bahá’í Cause to be no less universal than was Christianity. I appreciate your offer of cooperation, and thank you for any kindness which you may feel toward my work. . . . For the present I am thinking of just one thing. Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Go ye unto all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature’ and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to Ahmad Sohrab, ‘Go and teach.’ I am trying to help him.”
- 6. Cablegram from the Guardian to the National Assembly
(December 31, 1929)
“Feel strongly Ahmad Sohrab should uphold unconditionally authority local and national Assembly. Have in no letter of mine departed from this basic principle which alone safeguards the unity of Cause.”
- 7. Letter from the Guardian, Through His Secretary, to the National Assembly
(January 1, 1930)
“In none of the Guardian’s letters to Mrs. Chanler has Shoghi Effendi approved of her attitude toward the local and national Assemblies. One of those who was over-zealous about The New History Society wrote Shoghi Effendi that the members of the New York Assembly are gradually becoming milder and perhaps drawn to the History Society. This is to solve the problem in the wrong way. It is not the Assembly that has to be won to the cause of some rebellious person, but that person brought back under the authority of the Assembly.”
- 8. Cablegram from Four New York Believers to the Guardian
(January 23, 1930)
“Is it your desire for the sake of unity New York that we attend Chanler meeting?”
- 9. The Guardian’s Reply
(January 23,1930)
“Attendance Ahmad meeting conditioned upon Ahmad’s unquestioned acceptance to conduct meetings on lines fully sanctioned by National Spiritual Assembly. True unity can only be preserved by maintenance paramount position National Spiritual Assembly.”
- 10. Cablegram to the Guardian from New York Spiritual Assembly
(February 28, 1930)
“Mrs. Chanler’s request (to) continue her classes (in) Bahá’í Center granted. Implore divine confirmation.”
- 11. The Guardian’s Reply
(March 1, 1930)
“Much relieved, gladdened, fervently supplicating dear valued Mrs. Chanler and Assembly may through fire (of) Bahá’í fellowship be welded, unitedly uphold unity of faith and supremacy (of) Bahá’í representative Assemblies.”
Note: On receiving this cablegram the New York Assembly courteously invited Mrs. Chanler to meet and consult upon the significance of the Guardian’s message. This invitation was refused.
- 12. Letter from the Guardian to the National Assembly
(May 30, 1930)
“Ahmad Sohrab’s activities should be watched carefully, lest a weak handling of this extremely delicate situation may confuse the minds of the friends, and cause a split in the Cause. The Cause has already triumphed over such cases which flare up for a time then recede into the shadows of oblivion and are thought of no more. The case of Khyrellah, Fareed, Dyer, Mrs. White and others testify to this truth.”
- 13. National Assembly Statement, Voted June 29, 1930, Published in Baha’i News, August, 1930
“. . . Appreciating the urgency of obedience to the Masters command that all Bahá’í activities be conducted under the supervision of the Spiritual Assembly, both the Local and the National Assembly have on several occasions—through written as well as oral communication—attempted to bring about full and frank consultation with the leaders of the New History Society, but without success.
“Under these conditions it becomes the obvious responsibility of the National Spiritual Assembly to inform the friends that the activities conducted by Ahmad Sohrab through the New History Society are to be considered as entirely independent of the Cause, as outside the jurisdiction of the Local and National Assembly, and hence in no wise entitled to the cooperation of Bahá’ís. . . .”
- 14. Cablegram from the Guardian to the National Assembly
(Published in Baha’i News, September, 1930)
“Approve action regarding History Society. Deeply appreciate loyalty (of) believers.”
- 15. Letter from the Guardian, Through His Secretary, to a Believer of Yonkers, N . Y.
(August 30, 1930)
“A year ago, Mrs. Chanler wrote Shoghi Effendi of her plan to work independently of the Assembly. In answer, he expressed his disapproval in a most unquestionable term. In the letters and cables that Mrs. Chanler wrote subsequent to that, Shoghi Effendi expressed the same view again. He knew that for a body to defy the Assembly is contrary to the best interests of the Cause; that not only will conflict arise but it will react unfavorably in other parts of the world.
“Some persons in the (United) States feel that the History Society was badly represented to Shoghi Effendi. The source of all our information is the writings of Ahmad, and the publications of that group. In all his circular letters he harped on the note of freedom, and denounced the red tape that characterizes organizations. Freedom, which Ahmad reiterates . . . is not a bad thing if considered in view of the interpretation that Bahá’u’lláh gives in the Aqdas. (See quotation No. 1, above—Editor). The freedom that He commends is a freedom which is a fruit and result of law and proper administration. The other kind of freedom which is in defiance of law He considers to be animal, and far from being of any good to man. He says, ‘True freedom is in obedience to My law.’
“No one wrote to Shoghi Effendi against the History Society; it is Ahmad’s reports that caused Shoghi Effendi’s mistrust. This literature has not had this effect only on Shoghi Effendi but also of the friends of Australia and New Zealand. In the last two weeks we have had two letters from prominent and firm Bahá’ís of New Zealand and Australia who referred to the History Society and its literature with greatest disapprobation, and with great astonishment that nothing is being done.
“The Cause is an international institution. Every act done in one Center will have some reaction in some other locality. What if the spirit that Ahmad preaches should be practised in its full? The whole Cause will as a result be destroyed.”
- 16. Cablegram from the Guardian to the National Assembly
(October 24, 1930)
“Appeal American believers, New York believers in particular, (to) recall (during) these days of stress (the) sacredness of their trust (and the) nobility of their calling. Slightest evidence (of) internal division highly detrimental.”
No special comment, surely, is called for in the light of the above historical record. The laws and principles that existed in the Cause before the New History Society was founded, continue to exist at the present time, and will continue throughout the cycle of Bahá’u’lláh. The sun is not darkened when one or more people choose to close their eyes to its light. Wasted is the energy put forth in behalf of activities maintained in opposition to the Bahá’í principle of freedom. “The end of this valley may be seen from the beginning.”
The National Assembly, however, feels it desirable to emphasize the fact that, even though the administrative principles of the Cause are unassailable, they can be obscured by unwise Assembly attitudes and actions. Only complete courtesy and consultation can fulfil all the obligations imposed upon those called to be “trustees of the Merciful among men.”
MISS MARTHA ROOT IN INDIA[edit]
(Continued)
Simla Hill, forty miles from Simla, is even more beautiful than Simla itself. His Highness, the Maharajah of Patiala, has his summer palace there and he invited us to be his guests for two or three days. Mr. Pritam Singh used to be his teacher. We went for two days and we were entertained in a spacious new Guest House. His Highness the Maharajah of Patiala is Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes and he will lead the delegation of Princes to the Round Table Conference in London, and he led a delegation of Princes to the League of Nations a year or two ago. The questions he asked showed that he has read some of the Bahá’í Teachings. I gave him two books and Mr. Bekhtiar gave him two in Urdu. This Maharajan is thirty—six years old, he is very fond of reading and he has a wonderful mind. I met his son, we talked with their teacher, with the military secretary, the aide–de–camp, with generals, with relatives, and there were nearly fifty guests besides ourselves. We met them at the pavilion where every one gathered to watch a Cricket match. When we left Simla Hill, Mr. Pritam Singh returned to Lahore, but we came to Delhi.
(8) DELHI. Two days and one night were spent in Delhi, the Capital of India. We called on a great Muslim scholar who had met ’Abdu’l Bahá in Egypt. He has translated “Seven Valleys” into Urdu. We had a meeting of the Bahá’ís of Delhi, it was held at the “Kaukob” office. This “Kaukob” Bahá’í magazine in Urdu language is doing good work. It carries the Creative Word in the Urdu language, and in different cities I have seen its fruits. I believe it is very important to try to continue it and to do everything, in regard to its maintenance and the subject matter of its pages, in consultation with the National Spiritual Assembly. Mr. Abbas Ali and Mr. Ilmi are working very hard on this magazine “Kaukob.”
I lectured before the Aryan Samaj Society, 125 people were present. I gave a book to the Chancellor of the University, Mr. Bekhtiar spoke with the people who know Urdu. Consultations were held about the work in India.
(10) BENARES. A visit was made to the All–India Headquarters of the Theosophical Society in Benares where they have a fine school for four hundred young men and women. The Secretary arranged for me to lecture in this school and said he would be glad to have me write out this lecture or write an article about the progress of the Bahá’í Movement for the Theosophical Review, a monthly magazine published there.
His Highness, The Maharajah of Benares, graciously sent his motor car to take us to his palace. He himself is ill but we were received by his son, His Highness Kunwar Aditya Narayan Singh Bahadur and by the Military Secretary, a Major. The Maharajah and his son represent the highest in Hinduism in this ancient Province of Benares where Hinduism had its rise five thousand years ago and where Buddha taught his first five disciples. The young Maharaja (Prince) was the finest type of goodness and kindness. Both he and the Secretary know Persian as well as English and they spoke to Mr. Bekhtiar in Persian and he will send them some Persian books. He gave them books in Urdu and I gave His Highness “Some Answered Questions.” He courteously gave me books about Benares and an introduction to the Chancellor of the Benares Hindu University.
A lecture had been arranged in this Hindu University, but owing to the political crisis on that day, it had to be cancelled. Picketing was going on at several universities in India and this prevented my lecturing in some of the universities. (Picketing means that the men and youth literally lie down in the walks and roads leading to the schools so that students and professors who enter must walk over their bodies. They try to compel the students to cease attending the universities and work for freedom of their country.) However, in this Hindu University I spoke with the Chancellor, the Secretary and other professors. One professor whom I had met first in Simla said he would speak to the students about the Bahá’í Movement and tell them of the books which I had left for the University Library.
(9) LUCKNOW. A lecture was given before a large audience at the Brahmo Samaj in Lucknow. The Secretary was most cordial, he gave a tea in his home for friends to speak with us, and I gave a tea also inviting some of the thinkers of Lucknow. I talked with the Librarian of the Public Library and gave him a book for the Library. Called upon the Editor of the Indian Daily Telegraph and gave him an article about the Cause. I also wrote an article for the Pioneer in Allahabad, an important city near Lucknow and sent one book to the Allahabad Public Library. The stay in Lucknow was just one day and a half.
(11) PATNA. Only one day was spent in Patna, but wonderful fruits came. A lecture was given at 10:30 A. M. in the Girls’ High School before 257 girls and about 12 teachers. Then a visit was made to the High Court and to meet some of the judges and to meet the Vice-Chancellor of the University. (The university was not yet opened.) All spoke of the Bahá’í Movement in a friendly spirit and urged me to visit the Oriental Library of Patna. I lectured at 2 P. M. in the Bihar National College where three hundred young men listened eagerly and made a dash for the little booklets which were distributed. At five o’clock I gave a small tea for a few professors and religious thinkers, and at 6:30 gave a public lecture under the auspices of the Brahmo Samaj. One hundred and fifty people were present and a beautiful spirit of love was extended. Books were put into all public libraries in Patna.
(12) BOLPUR. A visit was made
to the school of Rabindranath Tagore
and two lectures were given there, and
books put into the Library. The five
religions, Christian, Muslim, Jain,
Buddhist and Hindu have Professors[Page 11]
at this school. Perhaps the time will
come when Bahá’ís will pay for a
Bahá’í Professor to teach in this school
for one year, or establish a Bahá’í
chair in this institution. The school,
and it is co–educational, represents the
most modern progressive methods, and
it gives much attention to the spiritual
uplift and aim of education. There
are about four hundred pupils. Dr.
Tagore is in Germany, so I did not
see him, but met some of his relatives.
(13) CALCUTTA. Mr. N. Badri of Shiraz, Persia, and a descendant of the Báb is in Calcutta. He is a youth of keen brain and capacity and he arranged for several lectures. I spoke first in the Islamic Institute before two hundred and fifty Muslims and about fifty people of other religions. The President of City College presided. Books were placed in this and in all other libraries of societies where I lectured.
A lecture was given before both sections of the Brahmo Samaj Mahrani (Princess) Sucharu Devee of Mayurbhanj acted as Chairman. One hundred and fifty people were present and several invitations came to address other groups.
Mr. Bekhtiar, Mr. Badri and I gave a tea for a Judge of the High Court, for a Princess, for relatives of Dr. Tagore and a few others who were interested to hear more about the Teachings.
Mr. Bijayachandra Sinha gave a supper in his home for the Bahá’ís of Calcutta.
I wrote four articles and we took them personally to the editors of the four largest newspapers and each editor said he would publish the article.
I was invited to a tea to meet nineteen guests at the home of Mrs. Mahalanahis who is a daughter of Keshub Chunder Sen, the great teacher of Brahmo Samaj. Her husband was Professor of Psychology in Calcutta University, but I think this year he is Director of a new Institution. Sunday the Bahá’ís of Calcutta had a little meeting in the home of a devoted believer who is a tailor. Each Sunday they have a meeting of prayer in the tailor shop. It was so touching, some came who really are very ill, but their prayers were so deep, one felt these souls are very close to God. The Bahá’ís in Calcutta are very dear and sincere. El-Bahá be upon them, each one!
This morning, July 21, I had the great honor of an audience with His Highness the Maharajah of Mayurbhanj who just arrived from Simla. He lives in his own state Mayurbhanj, but he stopped at his town palace in Calcutta for a day. He is a young Prince about twenty—four years old, all these Maharajahs (Princes) are like a King in their own state. He is Hindu but he believes in universal religion. I had postponed my sailing in order to speak with him. Mr. Bekhtiar went with me.
This evening I gave my last lecture in Calcutta. It took place in the Buddhist Temple. The President of the Theosophical Society presided and the audience consisted of Theosophists, Buddhists, university students, and Bahá’ís. Buddhist, pilgrims from Ceylon, returning from Benares heard of the Bahá’í Movement for the first time. Several invitations came to speak before other societies but I cannot accept them. This lecture hall was right in the center of the university picketing square—editors said people would be afraid to go to a lecture in the evening in that square, but one hundred and fifty individuals braved it. Perhaps Bahá’u’lláh wished the lecture in that storm-tossed center. Police were in the square outside, while inside the hall we spoke of Bahá’u’lláh’s Solution for these very problems.
Oh, I have left much undone! I could not get to the university or colleges, all are picketed, and several people to whom I had letters of introduction, I have not the time to go to see them. I am staying up all night to write this letter to you and to get packed, as I start with the ship at 6:30 tomorrow morning—rather this morning, as it is now 2 A. M., but we have tried to do our best. So loved friends in India who have worked so hard you and I have seen the “Glory of the Coming of the Lord” in this universal cycle, and it has been sweet to work together. I thank you for the happy days with you and pray God to bless you now and always.
IN MEMORIAM[edit]
Dr. Edna McKinney Tibbetts, for many years a devoted Bahá’í, departed this life October 4, 1930, and was buried in Providence, R. I., her late home, on October 7. Her funeral was attended by the little circle of attracted friends in Providence and by others who went from Boston, Portsmouth, N. H., and Haverhill. The floral tributes were beautiful and the simple Bahá’í service, consisting of the reading of Tablets and prayers and brief addresses was very impressive to friends and inquirers alike from its spiritual atmosphere.
Surviving Dr. Tibbetts is her mother, Mrs. A. E. McKinney and her husband, Mr. Frank Tibbetts, the latter of whom was taught the Cause by his wife. Dr. Tibbetts had the faculty of sustaining friendships and will be mourned by a wide circle of friends as well as her family. Her serene appearance in death was a sign of her faith in the Beauty of Abhá and firmness in the Covenant of His love.
LEGAL COMMITTEE REPORTS ON BAHA’I INCORPORATION IN CANADA AND OTHER CURRENT PROBLEMS[edit]
The American National Spiritual Assembly has become an administrative body called upon to deal with a vast range of problems during the course of each year. From matters affecting the spiritual or material well being of individuals to those involving relations to civil governments, the Assembly attempts to apply the Bahá’í standard of reality throughout practically the whole gamut of human experience.
The following statement summarizes recent decisions of the National Assembly on recommendation of its Legal Committee.
Canadian Incorporation. The fact
that the National Assembly represents
a body of believers having both United
States and Canadian citizenship has
raised the question whether it would
not be advisable for the believers of
Canada, through the Spiritual Assembly
of Montreal, to record with their
government some form of legal incorporation
similar to the Declaration of
Trust paralleling that document, and
having the effect of giving Canadian
Bahá’ís a legal status recognized under
their own civil code. After due
consideration, the National Assembly
voted that a separate Canadian incorporation
would be inadvisable, since
the religious status of all American
believers is already established under
the Declaration of Trust; since also a
separate legal body would create confusion
and difficulty between the actions
and powers of Bahá’ís in the
United States and those in Canada;
and finally, since a simple Indenture
of Trust naming the nine members of
the Montreal Spiritual Assembly, and
their successors, as trustees for the
benefit of the Bahá’ís of that community,
would constitute a legal instrument
sufficient for purposes of record,
but not possessing the larger significance
of the Declaration of Trust
The National Assembly will be pleased[Page 12]
to cooperate with any recognized Canadian
group in the formulation of such
an Indenture.
The same general principle meets the question as to whether local Spiritual Assemblies in the United States should incorporate locally, by an instrument which would be recognized by the state in which it is located. Here again, the form of an Indenture would provide corporate responsibility, but not invade the inclusive and unique character of the Declaration of Trust approved by the Guardian of the Cause. A model form of Indenture can be provided by the National Assembly for use by such local Assemblies as may wish to employ it.
Green Acre Fellowship. This body, existing under charter granted by the State of Maine, stripped itself of its property at Green Acre by formal action some years ago, and Green Acre property and administration are now vested in a body of nine trustees under an Indenture similar to that holding title to the Temple property at Wilmette. The National Assembly voted that the charter should be annulled, the Fellowship now being fulfilled in and through the larger Bahá’í body.
Gifts of real property to the National Fund. In connection with the transfer of title of a piece of real estate intended as a contribution to the Cause, the Assembly voted that in future each donation or legacy of real estate should be accepted under a separate Indenture naming the nine members of the National Assembly as trustees. The advantage of this procedure is twofold: it prevents taxes, liens and other obligations from becoming an unexpected burden upon the National Fund, or upon the Temple Fund, or involving the National Assembly in possible legal disputes; and in addition it makes possible the use for the Cause of more real property than could legally be held by one religious corporation under the diverse statutes of the different states.
Believers intending to make donations of real estate during their life time, or by will and testament, should consult the National Assembly in order to have the papers correctly drawn.
Convention procedure. A recommendation made by the Bahá’ís of South Gate, Calif., leading to the improvement of the system of casting and counting ballots at the Annual Convention were approved. The new procedure will be explained in detail when the call for the 1931 Convention is issued.
REQUESTS BACK NUMBER OF BAHA’I MAGAZINE
To complete its files, the Publishing Committee, P. O. Box 348, Grand Central Station, New York City, wishes to purchase one copy of No. 6, Vol. 1, Star of the West. Believers having available copies of that issue are invited to notify the Committee at the above address.
MR. C. MASON REMEY DESIGNS CURTAINS AND PLAQUES FOR TOMB OF BAHA’U’LLAH[edit]
I have your letter of October 21st asking me for a statement about the Guardian’s request for the hangings, and for the two panels with the Greatest Name on marble.
About twenty-five years ago I made a design for a curtain to hang in the doorway of the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahje. Madam d’Ange d’Astre, now of Paris, but who was then living in Washington, an expert with the needle, undertook the execution of this and it came out very well. The ground work was dark blue velvet and the embroidery was in shades of gold silk with borders across the top and down the sides with a heavy fringe, while in the center panel was a sunburst of nineteen points with the Greatest Name in the center, and the ground was embroidered with ninety-five stars.
A couple of years ago I had a letter from Shoghi Effendi saying that the curtain had been so long in use that it was faded and the material was in shreds (I presume the dampness of the climate had rotted the stuff), and he asked me if I would send another curtain to replace the former one. At several meetings of the Assembly I suggested that some of the ladies form a guild and undertake the embroidery of this curtain. It ended up by Mrs. Barnitz and Miss Alma Knobloch doing the embroidery between them, while Miss Knobloch did the sewing on the curtain.
The color was dark blue velvet with old gold embroidery, but of a somewhat more simple design than the original one. There was a large Greatest Name in the center of the curtain with a heavy gold band and fringe across the bottom and cords up the sides. It was lined with old gold damask brocade of a religious and formal character of fleurs de les and flowers.
Dr. Guy took this curtain to Haifa when he made his recent pilgrimage.
Not many months ago Shoghi Effendi again requested me to arrange to send a similar curtain to be hung before the doorway of the room of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahje, and he also requested two marble plaques engraved with the Greatest Name, of the design such as is engraved on the ring-stone. For these he sent me a small design to be enlarged.
Mrs. Barnitz and Miss Knobloch again very kindly undertook to do the embroidery and the making of the curtain, I am arranging as before for the material and the designing. The curtain was about the same size as the other curtain, and the design similar, but we varied the color, using an old gold velvet with the embroidery and trimming of a little brighter shade of gold, lined with a damask brocade of the same color.
Some years ago I had a copy of the Greatest Name cut in marble and sent to Shoghi Effendi that I understand he placed above the doorway of the Tomb of the Master. This was made in Italy and I hear it came out successfully. Therefore, I took up the matter of the two marble plaques with Mrs. Hoagg who is now living in Geneva, knowing that she was in touch with the reliable sculptor in Florence (where she formerly lived) who could do this work, he having made the former tablet.
These tablets were made and sent. I understand they are in white marble with the Greatest Name inlaid in marble of a different color, while around the name in an oval pattern is some leaf work decoration, also inlaid in color.
Not long since, I sent this latter curtain to New York to be taken by the first pilgrims going to the Holy Land. I believe it was shown at one of the meetings of the Assembly and Miss Herklotz later wrote me that Mrs. Mathews and Mrs. Little had taken it with them, so I presume by now it is in Shoghi Effendi’s hands.
- Faithfully yours in El Bahá,
- C. MASON REMEY.
Washington, D. C.,
October 23, 1930.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS[edit]
We are requested by the Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles to record the fact that the correct address for correspondence is now: Mrs. Shahnaz Waite, Secretary, 1534 North Stanley Avenue, Hollywood, Calif.
