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No. 501

BAHA’I YEAR 129

December, 1972

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The Dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute
Hemingway, South Carolina

Continental Counsellor Miss Edna True addresses the gathering against a background of the exterior of the auditorium building. Raymond Collins, Master of Ceremonies for the occasion, is at the extreme right. See the story on page 8.

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Glimpses of Early Bahá’í Pilgrimages

By Annamarie K. Honnold

Part three of three parts

Flow of Pilgrims Halted By World War I

Year after year “a continual flow of pilgrims ... transmitted the verbal messages and special instructions of a vigilant Master”. (God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi, p. 259.) World War I brought a rude halt to these heavenly journeys.

“A remarkable instance of the foresight of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was supplied during the months immediately preceding the war. During peace times there was usually a large number of pilgrims at Haifa, from Írán and other regions of the globe. About six months before the outbreak of war one of the old Bahá’ís living at Haifa presented a request from several believers of Írán for permission to visit the Master. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not grant the permission, and from that time onwards gradually dismissed the pilgrims who were at Haifa, so that by the end of July, 1914 none remained. When, in the first days of August, the sudden outbreak of the Great War startled the world, the wisdom of His precaution became apparent.” (Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Dr. J. E. Esslemont, p. 79.)

During World War I, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had practically no communication with the Bahá’ís outside the Holy Land. Shoghi Effendi wrote, “He felt acutely the virtual stoppage of all communication with most of the Bahá’í centers throughout the world.” (God Passes By p. 304)

The difficulties of those years can hardly be imagined. The Master yet felt the exhausting effects of His extensive western journeys. He suffered agony seeing the world plunged into war—Bahá’u’lláh’s summons had gone unheeded. Furthermore, He “became again virtually a prisoner of the Turkish Government”, plagued by real personal danger and a shortage of food. Cut off from most of the Bahá’ís, He was deprived of much joy.

But His work continued, “ministering to the material and spiritual wants of the people about Him. He personally organized extensive agricultural operations near Tiberias, thus securing a great supply of wheat, by means of which famine was averted, not only for the Bahá’ís but for hundreds of the poor of all religions in Haifa and ‘Akká, whose wants He liberally supplied. He took care of all, and mitigated their sufferings as far as possible. To hundreds of poor people He would give a small sum of money daily. In addition to money He gave bread. If there was no bread He would give dates or something else. He made frequent visits to ‘Akká to comfort and help the believers and poor people there. During the time of war He had daily meetings of the believers, and through His help the friends remained happy and tranquil throughout those troublous years.” (Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, J. E. Esslemont, p. 75.)

After the war, the flow of pilgrims resumed. Eager as He must have been to welcome them, He was known to grant permission when they could travel in comfort.

“Strive to Create Love”

The Randall-Vail-Latimer pilgrimage of November 1919 is beautifully recorded in The Light of the World. For twelve blessed days the pilgrims basked in the divine sunlight of the Master and of the Bahá’í Holy Places. Dr. Esslemont of England was among that mixed gathering attracted to the Master as bees are to honey. “Persian, Arab, Kurd, Turk, English, American, Hindu, Japanese, Muḥammedan, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, gathered at one heavenly table by the power of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh”! (p. 26)

This building is the Pilgrim House, the hospice on Mount Carmel. Its builder was Mirza Djafar Chirazi.

They observed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He “sat there before us, at times silent, but when He spoke every word vibrated with power. As He talked of world conditions, His irresistible logic, the splendor of His universal mind, were a continual astonishment. As He paused, told a humorous story, laughed about Fugita, heaped more food on Margaret Randall’s plate (now Counsellor Báḥíyyih Ford), His great love set all our hearts in uproar.

“It is not the Master’s human personality, attractive as it may be, but the light, the truth of God shining through His selfless spirit that makes Him so wonderful and His words like the Water of Life.” (p. 27)

His life-style was beautiful, selfless. This “magnetic personality” allowed no one to bow before Him. He often brought flowers to lunch. One day jasmine blossoms—brought to Him from the garden at the Báb’s tomb—were sprinkled on the table cloth. One night He got out of bed at midnight and “corrected Tablets for four hours.” Yet fatigue did not prevent His coming to lunch, where He joked with young Margaret and with Fugita, the young Bahá’í from Japan who served in the Holy Household.

He taught constantly—by word and act. Dr. Esslemont asked Him if His words were the same as those of Bahá’u’lláh. He answered, “ ‘Yes ... I have no opinion of my own. Whatever is His Blessed Will I carry out.’ ” (p. 37)

Dr. Esslemont also asked, “ ‘Was it not true that Bahá’u’lláh had to show forth all the attributes of God, how to be both poor and rich?’ ”

The Master replied, “ ‘Yes. However, He lived very simply and economically regarding His own welfare. He had no return from His property at that time. His property was confined to half the village of Adasieh (near Tiberias). It was in ruins and yielded no revenues. Now it is restored and we get some revenues. Bahá’u’lláh owned vast properties in Persia which were confiscated; also in Baghdád, but they were taken from Him toward the end of our stay. All were sacked and confiscated by the Turkish Government.’ ” (p. 123)

[Page 3] He stressed love and unity among the servants of God. “ ‘Unity must be made very firm. Whoever has love for Bahá’u’lláh must give his life for the friends. Love for the friends is love for Bahá’u’lláh. In this Cause there is no danger save the inharmony among the friends ...

“ ‘Whenever inharmony and disagreement arise between two persons, it will ultimately lead to their both turning away from the Cause ... Do not let any conflict arise between two friends. When there is a difference both will become grieved. There must be only love. You must never offend any soul. You must always have love. As soon as you see any dissatisfaction between souls, strive to create love between them. For the Kingdom of God does not accept differences.

“Bahá’u’lláh says: ‘If two persons argue over a subject, both are wrong,” so that no disagreement should occur ... There must be love, love, love. God is love.’ (pp. 140-141.)

“Many times during our interviews ‘Abdu’l-Bahá impressed upon us the need of love and its power to transform the heart of mankind. The real spirit of Bahá’í unity will be the mirror to reflect this love to the world. To Mrs. Randall He gave the secret of its attainment in the following matchless gem:

“ ‘Severance from the world is the first sign of the love of God. As long as man is much attached to this world he will be unaware of the Kingdom of God. As soon as he begins to be detached from this world the Spirit of the Kingdom, like unto a sun, will shine from the horizon of his heart.’ ” (pp. 141-142.)

During those precious days the Master told them that each Bahá’í should “ ‘make one Bahá’í each year.’ ” (p. 103)

The day arrived when their steamer was in port. They must depart. But their separation from the Master need not be devastating. His tender words of love and encouragement came even to the end: “ ‘Turn to me always that I may be in your hearts for I love you very much and this is eternal. You are always in my heart, but I must also be in your hearts, then we are in oneness.’ ” (p. 146)

“For one moment He held each by the hand. The Master’s last words would move them forward with joy: ‘You are under the protection of God.’ ”

Pilgrimage of a Thirteen-Year-Old

This pilgrimage made an indelible impression on young Margaret Randall (Bahíyyíh Randall Ford). Telling about her experiences she said “Of course every Bahá’í wants to go to Haifa. And in those days everyone longed to go to Haifa to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And so father wrote and asked if he might come with his family, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote back and said. ‘When you may travel in comfort, then you may come.’ So in 1919, after the first World War, it was so arranged. George Latimer, Albert Vail, father, mother and I started for Haifa, Palestine. I was thirteen years old. When we arrived in the harbor of Haifa, our spirits were in such a state of excitement that we could hardly stand it. We got into the little boats which took us from the big steamer to the dock and there Lotfullah Hakim (elected a member of The Universal House of Justice in 1963) met us with the wagons of the Master. We were driven through the little quaint streets of Haifa and part way up Mount Carmel, and finally the little wagon stopped at a gate covered with bougainvillea vines, such beautiful flowers. Lotfullah (Dr. Hakim), said: ‘This is where you are going to stay. It is the Persian Pilgrim House.’

“And as we were about to get out of the wagon, I felt as if a magnet was drawing my eyes, and I turned around and looked into the eyes that were so grand and so wise and so comprehending of everything in the world that they took my breath away. I said, ‘Oh, there

Dr. Lotfullah Hakim, elected to The Universal House of Justice in 1963.

is the Master!’ And of course it was He. He was sitting in the little house that was built on the wall where He used to write His Tablets, and He sat low in the room and the window was high, so that all we could see of His face was just from the top of His nose up, His eyes and His turban, and these wonderful eyes were looking at us. We will never forget those eyes, because they expressed the sympathy and love that seemed to encompass the whole world, and a wisdom that could guide the world.”

In the Persian Pilgrim House, the party was greeted by Shoghi Effendi, who came bringing flowers. At that time he was one of the Master’s secretaries.

Mrs. Ford further recounts some of her experiences: “One night we were sitting at the table with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He always placed me on His left. He smiled at me and said, ‘Your name is Bahíyyih. Bahíyyih means light, but unless you have something within you, something back of it, there is no light.’ And I realized the challenge He gave me just then. Another time we were told that we could have an interview with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and mother went with me when I had one. I asked Him ‘What can I do to serve this Faith!’ The Master paced up and down the room several times and then He turned and looked at me and said. ‘Study. Study. Study.’ So many times the Master would repeat things three times. That was the Message for me. Always the Master knew the thing that would bring fullest development into the individual’s life. If it was requested, He guided the person to it.”

Every day He came and had luncheon with the pilgrims over in the Pilgrim House, and at night pilgrims would go to His home to have dinner.

Bahíyyih Ford recalled that “There was a perfectly wonderful person who always sat on the right of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at dinner. His name was Haydar-‘Alí and he had been a follower of Bahá’u’lláh and was so meek and so beautiful. His hands would shake so that he could not eat. He was such an old, old man, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would feed him with such tenderness. One day I saw him sitting out in the garden and I asked him what he had ever done. Of course, he could not speak English and I could not speak Persian, but we somehow seemed to understand. A man came along to interpret just then, and I told him what I had asked: ‘What have you done to serve the Faith?’

“Haydar-‘Alí looked up with his eyes to heaven and said, ‘I have not done as much as an ant could do in the path of God.’ And then the interpreter told me that he had been dragged across the desert, tied in a bag

[Page 4] Fugita, Haifa, July 1921.

to a camel, and that his whole life had been one series of martyrdoms. Yet, he had said, ‘I have not done as much as an ant could do in the path of God’.”

Young Bahíyyih was impressed with the question the Master was always asking: “Are you happy? Are you happy?”
(Based on Notes of Bahíyyih Ford, typed sheets sent by Mrs. Ford from South Africa.)

The Master at Seventy-five

Dr. J. E. Esslemont, author of the often-printed Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s guest in Haifa for two and a half months in the winter of 1919-1920. He described what he observed: “At that time, although nearly seventy-six years of age, He was still remarkably vigorous, and accomplished daily an almost incredible amount of work. Although often very weary He showed wonderful powers of recuperation, and His services were always at the disposal of those who needed them most. His unfailing patience, gentleness, kindliness, and tact made His presence like a benediction. It was His custom to spend a large part of each night in prayer and meditation. From early morning until evening, except for a short siesta after lunch, He was busily engaged in reading and answering letters from many lands and in attending to the multitudinous affairs of the household and of the Cause. In the afternoon He usually had a little relaxation in the form of a walk or a drive, but even then He was usually accompanied by one or two, or a party, of pilgrims with whom He would converse on spiritual matters, or He would find opportunity by the way of seeing and ministering to some of the poor. After His return He would call the friends to the usual evening meeting in His salon. Both at lunch and supper He used to entertain a number of pilgrims and friends, and charm His guests with happy and humorous stories as well as precious talks on a great variety of subjects. ‘My home is the home of laughter and mirth,’ He declared, and indeed it was so. He delighted in gathering together people of various races, colors, nations, and religions in unity and cordial friendship around His hospitable board. He was indeed a loving Father not only to the little community at Haifa, but to the Bahá’í community throughout the world.” (Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, April 1970 edition, J. E. Esslemont, pp. 76-77.)

“Go Out with Gladsome Heart”

Four American pilgrims, Mabel Paine and her daughter, Sylvia (Parmelee), Cora Gray and Genevieve Coy spent a week in Haifa in 1920. Genevieve recounted this visit in several issues of the Star of the West. Before meeting the Master she remembered the advice she had received from Juliet Thompson, Bahá’í artist, in New York: “ ‘When you are in the Master’s presence do not be self-conscious, if you can help it. Do not be afraid. There is nothing to fear. He is all love and kindness. Pray, pray, all the way on your journey, that your hearts may be freed from all self-consciousness. Go to him freely, gladly!’ ” (Star of the West, Vol. XII, No. 10, p. 167.)

Later she recalled: “It is very difficult to remember much of what He said. Indeed, it was almost difficult to listen!

“I wished only to look and look at the beauty of his face! For that was what impressed me first,—the exquisite beauty of the Master. It was like the most beautiful pictures we have of him, with life and color added. His is a face of living silver—the wonderful silver of hair and beard, and the blue of his eyes. The side face is majestic and sweet and loving. It was that which we saw most of the time. The full face is more dignified; to me it seemed more awe-inspiring. And yet, when he smiled, it was most exquisitely friendly, and human!” (Star of the West, Vol. XII, No. 11, pp. 179-180.)

Of course there was talk of teaching. One day the Master said, “ ‘Some people are ready for education. They are like the fertile ground. Some have not capacity, they are like the barren or salty ground. His Holiness Christ has told a story of the seed that fell on stony ground and so it could not grow. Other seeds fell in the shallow earth, and they soon withered away. But some fell on the good fertile earth, and grew and produced fruit. So it is with my words. Some fall on hearts that have no capacity; they do not take effect at all. Those people do not understand. Others hear and seem to understand, but they forget my words and do not live in accordance with them. But others have great capacity; they hear my words; they understand; they live accordingly.’ ” pp. 182-3.

During their visit the Master was exceedingly busy, and He told them He was sorry He had not been able to see them more. Yet He added, “ ‘... it is not the length of time that one spends here that is important. Some people stay a short time, and then go and do great service. Other people are here a long time, and they learn nothing. There is some wood that is very dry: it catches fire quickly and burns well. There is other wood that is so wet that it will not burn even though you should try for a whole day. There is no result but smoke. It will not blaze, it will not keep any one warm; it will not even cook anything!’ As he said the latter He smiled.” (Star of the West, Vol. XII, No. 13, p. 213.)

Life was “lifted higher” in the Master’s presence. His home was indeed “the home of peace”. Yet at departure time it was vital to remember His blessed words, “ ‘My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whoever enters through the portals of this home must go out with gladsome heart.’ ” (p. 214)

A Theologian’s Daughter Gives Her Impressions

Easter season 1921! Professor Jakob Kunz and his wife, Anna, he a scientist and she the daughter of a Swiss theologian in Zürich, reached the Holy Land when the moon stood full and bright over Mount Carmel. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not in Haifa. After a severe

[Page 5] Mrs. Anna Kunz at the Pilgrim House on March 25,1921.

illness, He was resting, presumably, in Tiberias. But apparently visitors were received by Him even there—all day long. And they, too, were expected.

Beautifully, Anna Kunz has described that blessed pilgrimage: “It was a bright and luminous Easter morning when the Master called us into His room. Oh, that I could picture Him to all those who never saw Him, could picture Him in those simple surroundings at the shores of that same lake where Christ walked and taught. Though I feared to approach Him, after His loving words of welcome this fear vanished. Here we sat before our Master, in a little room, with only the most necessary furnishings, on top of the hotel, with a view of that blessed lake. His look seems to go into one’s very heart. Yes, He knows His children and their need. As I think of Him now, I always love to think, first, of His great simplicity, His marvelous humility which knows of no self-existence, and last, or better, first, of His boundless love. To us His outward appearance seemed similar to that of the old Hebrew Prophets; His humility, His simplicity and love were like the Christ. This boundless love conquered the hearts at once. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talked to us with a ringing, piercing voice which will forever sound in my ears. His words would come forth with that unique simplicity, then He would pause for a while, often closing His eyes. His spirit, it seemed when I dared to look at Him, had left His body; He was looking into infinitude, communing with that world for which we long. Having seen Him, we could understand well what He meant when He said to us, ‘The Prophet discerns by sight.’ We came before Him, my husband especially, with many, many questions in our minds, but sitting in His presence we seemed to forget them, or better, there did not exist any unsolved problems. He said ‘God has created a remedy for every disease,’ and while in His presence, we tasted of this remedy.” (Star of the West, Vol. XIII, No. 6, Sept. 1922, p. 141.)

Words of wisdom poured forth as interview followed interview. The scientist said that science denied immortality and he asked how the Prophet knew otherwise. The Master replied, “ ‘Science does not know; but the Manifestation makes discoveries with the power of the

Florence Mattoon (Zmeskal) with Fugita in the bay at Haifa. Fugita would take little Florence on his back and swim out into the Mediterranean. (July 1921)

Spirit.’ They wondered how one should deal with people who denied religion. He answered, ‘You must be tolerant and patient, because the station of sight is a station of bounty; it is not based on capacity. They must be educated.’ ” (p. 143)

And He spoke to them of moderation. “ ‘Everything must be done moderately. Excess is not desirable. Do not go to extremes. Even in thinking do not go to excess but be moderate.’ ” (p. 143)

Easter took on a new significance for these pilgrims. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pointed to the spot some 150 meters away where Jesus told Peter to become a fisher of men. And now ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told them what they should do. “ ‘Just like a shepherd who is affectionate to all his sheep, without preference or distinction, you should be affectionate to all. You should not look at their shortcomings. Consider that they are all created by God who loves them all.’ ” (p. 144) “ ‘Say to the friends: “The Kingdom of God has been opened to you.” ’ ” (p. 144)

“You Must Never Forget Christ”

Among the last of those fortunate pilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were the Edwin Mattoon family. In their great longing to reach His side, they had asked if they might come from the United States “if only for a day.” Permission was granted. With their two little daughters, Florence (Zmeskal) and Annamarie (Baker), the latter

Mr. Edwin Mattoon is at the wheel of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Cunningham car for which he brought spare parts at the request of Roy Wilhelm and spent several days in its repair. The rest of the Mattoon family are on the back seat. When some of the family returned to Haifa in 1970 the car was still there.

[Page 6] only three months old, they joyously set sail. They were asked to take a part of an automobile so that the Master’s—sent by American friends—might be repaired. Somehow they managed that, too. Annie Mattoon remembered later that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to them, “ ‘You must never forget Christ.’ ” (We Went to Haifa, Annie Mattoon, p. 9, mimeographed copy.) With this encouragement, they included visits to the Holy Places of Christianity. Today, also, Bahá’ís are encouraged to make the “wider pilgrimage.”

Conclusion

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was ever the Master—master of every situation, One Who had mastered life, master Teacher, in word and deed. None could do better than to emulate His way, for in some mysterious manner, it was ever the perfect way.

The accounts of those early pilgrims still give us inspiring glimpses of the Master Teacher at work. To follow Him during even a few precious moments is to better know the life-style of the Bahá’í Exemplar.

How well He knew that people are in different stages of spiritual development. “Do not become a Bahá’í.” The Master Himself once told a pilgrim the story behind His giving this advice.

He was concluding an interview by telling of the time when He travelled through Persia (Írán) with a party which included a merchant. When the caravan halted in a certain village, quite a few people gathered around to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The travelers later continued their journey and when they stopped in another town, the same thing happened. And it happened yet again.

The merchant noticed this very obvious love and respect, which were showered on the Master. And he then took Him aside and told Him he wished to become a Bahá’í.

When the Master asked him why he desired this, he replied, without apparent shame, “You are a Bahá’í, and wherever you go, great crowds of people flock out to meet you, while no one comes to meet me; so I wish to become a Bahá’í.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá probed deeper. He asked him if that was the real reason. Whereupon the merchant replied with candor, “I also think it will help my business, as I will have all these people come to meet me.”

It was then that he was told very frankly, “Do not become a Bahá’í. It is better for you to remain as you are.” (Adapted from A Modern Pilgrimage to Palestine, L. B. Pemberton, pp. 99-100.)

One writer reported that He once said, “At the gate of the garden some stand and look within, but do not care to enter. Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. Still others encircle this garden inhaling the fragrance of the flowers, having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. But there are always some who enter and, becoming intoxicated with the splendor of what they behold, remain for life to tend the garden.” (The Garden of the Heart, p. 14)

“All the travelers have come back like pilgrims of a new hope, bubbling and overflowing with the ideas, impressions and suggestions drawn from their visit to this inspiring spiritual center, and their contact with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Each has illustrated the reply given by the Servant of God to the questioner who asked Him: ‘Why do all the guests who visit You come away with shining countenances?’

“He said with His beautiful smile, ‘I cannot tell you, but in all those upon whom I look, I see only My Father’s Face.’ ” (The Oriental Rose, Mary Hanford Ford, p. 6)

Those early pilgrims to the Holy Land during the Bahá’í Dispensation left their marks upon the earth. Their regeneration—born of divine love—gave birth to new generations. And so today, around the globe, ever increasing numbers “remain for life to tend the garden.”

National Spiritual Assembly of Dahomey, Togo and Niger

Members of the third National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Dahomey, Togo and Niger elected Riḍván 129 B.E. in Cotonou with Mr. Ardekani, member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for West Central Africa, at extreme right. From left to right: F. P. Charles, Vice-Chairman (Pioneer from Haiti); Doris Manley (Pioneer from United States); Parvin Djoneidi, Chairman (Pioneer from Iran for Niger); Golgasht Mossafa’i, Secretary (Pioneer from British Isles for Dahomey); Emmanuel Tomondji, Treasurer; Carmelie Charles (Pioneer from Haiti); Edmond Bonfin; Vassou Appa (Pioneer from Mauritius Island); Boniface Denavo.

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National Spiritual Assembly of Bolivia

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bolivia for 1972-1973: (back row) Juan Mamani, Dorothy Hansen Baskin, Eshahallah Oladie, Fati Oladie, Osidro Jachakolla, Prudencia Peña. In front: Sabino Orteaga, Reginald Baskin, Hugo Saria. The Assembly is made up of persons of diversified backgrounds including Quechua and Aymara tribesmen, a native of Cochabamba, Persian and American pioneers.

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Counsellors Conference at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The gentle waves of the Atlantic Ocean formed the background for the Continental Board of Counsellors Deepening Conference held October 20-21 at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Nearly 800 believers from twenty-two states, Guam and Norway filled the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, creating a warm atmosphere of love with their radiant smiles and soft echoes of “Alláh’u’-Abhá”. It was a time of joy and a time of expectancy. Those attending the conference would on Sunday witness the dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute at Hemingway, South Carolina.

The memory of that beloved Hand and his exemplary life permeated the entire weekend and left a delicate impression on all the conference sessions. There were those present who were his spiritual children, those who had known and loved him, those who had been touched by his pure spirit, among them Mrs. Sylvia Ioas, wife of the late Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas, and member of the International Bahá’í Council, and Dr. H. Elsie Austin, former member of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the United States and Northwest Africa.

The conference officially opened on Friday evening with devotions and the lyric harmony of the Young Sisters from Gainesville, Florida. Still fresh in the minds of those present was the previous day’s Holy Day Observance of the Birthday of the Báb, He Who was the Primal Point and the Herald of this the Promised Day of God. Counsellors Edna True and Florence Mayberry were introduced and greeted the friends on behalf of the Continental Board of Counsellors for North America. Miss True told of the many southern teaching trips her mother, Mrs. Corinne True and Mr. Louis G. Gregory had made together during the early years of the Faith; she descended from the southern genteel class and he, the descendent of former slaves, and how they had used their heritage, and their mutual love and respect to further the interests of the Faith. The nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States were introduced, and the Chairman of that body Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, greeted the friends on its behalf, speaking briefly on the signficance of the institutions of the Faith and the harmony which exists between them. The four Auxiliary Board members present, Mr. Albert James, Dr. Jane McCants, Mr. Paul Pettit, and Mrs. Thelma Khelghati, were likewise introduced.

Speaker for the evening session was Auxiliary Board member, Mr. Albert James, himself a spiritual child of Hand of the Cause Mr. Gregory. Mr. James spoke on the subject “Children of One God”, highlighting the pivot principle of the Faith, the oneness of mankind. He also emphasized the fire of the love of God which burns in the hearts of the friends and is the real source of their success in teaching. Mr. Gregory, he pointed out, had that fire, and all who knew him were warmed in its flame. Deeply moved by Mr. James’ presentation, the believers were stirred to even greater heights as Mr. Van Gilmer led the singing of Bahá’u’lláh’s words, “Soon will all that dwell on earth be enlisted under these banners.” Surely the faces of the many new believers present, from both South Carolina and other states were a testimony to those words, and the evening session closed with the friends eager to greet their new Bahá’í brothers and sisters.

Saturday morning began with music and devotions. Then Counsellor True told the marvelous “Story of the Covenant”, God’s promise to never leave man alone, and the fulfillment of that promise in successive stages as each Messenger of God, the embodiment of His love, came to educate and guide the souls of men. Auxiliary Board member Thelma Khelghati spoke of the promise of the “Kingdom of God” as foretold in the Bible and its fulfillment today in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’í Administration. Before the close of the morning session the friends greeted the visiting Bahá’ís from Norway and Guam. Dr. Jane McCants told the story of the formation, this Riḍván, of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Northwest Pacific, of which Guam is a part. Though not a goal of the Nine Year Plan, such had been the intensity and success of the teaching work in these islands of the Pacific, that The Universal House of Justice had called for the election of a regional National Spiritual Assembly. At their National Convention, the friends of this area dedicated their newly formed National Assembly to the Bahá’ís of an Eastern country whose National Assembly had been dissolved during the course of the Plan, quoting the words of Bahá’u’lláh, “Should they attempt to conceal its light on the continent, it will assuredly rear its head in the midmost heart of the ocean, and raising its voice, proclaim: ‘I am the life giver of the world!’ ”

In the afternoon the friends were thrilled by the music of the Rockhill Singers, a group of Bahá’í Youth from Rockhill, South Carolina, most of whom have been Bahá’ís less than one year. Auxiliary Board member Dr. Jane McCants’ eloquent introduction of Mrs. Thelma Allison, one of the earliest black believers in the South and another of Mr. Gregory’s spiritual children, who read the Tablet of Visitation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, stirred the hearts of the friends, as did her eloquent presentation on the life of the Perfect Exemplar, the Mystery of God,

At the close of the Conference, all left their seats and joined hands making a circle around the auditorium, singing “Alláh-u-Abhá”.

[Page 8] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The golden voice of Charles Bullock led the friends in singing the musical version of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s plea, “O that I could travel even though on foot and in the utmost poverty, to these regions and, raising the call of Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá in cities, villages, mountains, deserts and oceans, promote the Divine Teachings. This, alas, I cannot do. How intensely I deplore it. Please God, ye may achieve it.” Surely each heart uttered a silent prayer to be able to give one’s all in attempting to fulfill this wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to teach unceasingly the Cause of God.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá had named the Guardian the “Sign of God on earth,” and the Guardian had referred to The House of Justice as “the last refuge of a tottering civilization.” To close the afternoon session, National Spiritual Assembly member, Dr. Sarah Pereira, a spiritual granddaughter of Louis Gregory, her parents having been taught the Faith by him, spoke of those twin infallible institutions, crowning points of the Bahá’í Administrative Order, their uniqueness, their individual spheres of activity and the unity between them.

The closing session of the conference Saturday evening saw Counsellor Florence Mayberry paint vistas of the opportunity for each Bahá’í to pioneer, if not in a foreign country, into the vast inlands of one’s own spiritual being, to uncover the gem-like qualities and virtues latent within, and to polish them into radiant splendor. The challenge to such pioneering, is the challenge to become the “New Race of Men”.

It was on this note of challenge that the conference ended. Arm in arm the friends circled the room even as the Faith had encircled the planet. The familiar sounds of “Alláh’u’Abhá! Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!,” again echoed through the halls, this time colored with notes of our increased love and fervor, notes tinged with the sadness of our parting, notes stiffened with our resolve to rededicate our lives to Bahá’u’lláh, to become that new race of men. Surely the love and unity generated in that closing session had drawn the presence of the Concourse on High, and surely among their number smiled Louis G. Gregory, whose heart was like “pure gold.”

—Thelma Khelghati

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Dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute

On October 22, 1972 over 800 Bahá’ís and friends attended the dedication of the history-making Institute which has been brought into being by the Bahá’ís of the United States for the specific purpose of training teachers, primarily in the Southern states, for the mighty Cause of God.

Driving through tiny, sleepy villages on that special Sunday morning, absorbed by a green and peaceful countryside, suddenly one discovered a clearing in the woodlands. Elegant yet simple buildings appeared, and welcoming walks and driveways beckoned. To visit the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, located at Hemingway, South Carolina, in the heartland of the blessed state of South Carolina, which has already proved the spiritual capacity of its rural folk, is to find oneself transported to an idyllic setting. On the special day of dedication of that Institute, when the power of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh was evidenced by the magnificent diversity of the friends who had gathered, the sparkle of a warm and sunny day filled one with hope and with thanksgiving, and its atmosphere of peace brought the future breathtakingly close.

The Bahá’ís, on this precious day, gave evidence of their labor to erect the Kingdom of God on earth; they were engaged in the task of breathing life into a unified body, of creating the true unity and spirituality which is destined to culminate in the Most Great Peace. It must be God has willed this place to be built!

Dean of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Harold C. Jackson, addresses the assembled friends at the dedication.

[Page 9] A wide view of the dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute showing at right, the auditorium building. In the foreground is the commemorative tree with the shovel poised ready for the planting in which all participated.

Hundreds of chairs had been arranged in a semicircle against a backdrop of uncleared forest, offering the assembled guests a panoramic view of the complex of Institute buildings and exquisitely landscaped grounds which lay beyond the platform designed for use in the formal dedication observances.

Mr. Raymond Collins, the National Teaching Committee’s coordinator for its Southern Region, served as a most able Master of Ceremonies, which were opened with the “Prayer for All Mankind,” read by Mrs. Frances Hunter, Assistant Manager of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, and a Passage from Gleanings read by Mrs. Sue Fouts, a member of the National Teaching Committee. Mr. Collins then introduced to the gathering the two members of the Continental Board of Counsellors who were present, Mrs. Florence Mayberry and Miss Edna True, and the individual members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Miss True, speaking briefly and eloquently, recalled the unbreakable bonds which link this day to the early years of the Faith.

The newly-appointed Dean of the Institute, Mr. Harold Jackson, formerly of California, delivered a thought-provoking address on the purpose of the Institute and the plans for its development.

Dr. Sarah Pereira, member of the National Spiritual Assembly, delighted the gathering with a highly informative and heart-warming biographical sketch of Hand of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory, for whom the Institute is named, in which she included some of Mr. Gregory’s accomplishments as a teacher of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and shared personal glimpses of his relationship with her family in the earlier days of the Cause.

Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, unable to be present for this historic occasion, had prepared a taped recording for the event. In his inspiring and love-laden message Mr. Sears recalled to our minds and our hearts the great sacrifices, the truly heroic acts of devotion which Mr. Gregory had exemplified in his life which had caused him to be raised posthumously to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God.

During the program Mr. Van Gilmer of Oxen Hill, Md. and Mr. Charles Bullock of Henderson, N.C. offered musical selections.

Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, in a few well-chosen remarks, formally dedicated and declared open the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute. His words were immediately followed by the planting of a Canadian hemlock tree, at which time those participating in the dedication ceremonies and the friends present abandoned their formal groupings and gathered together for this symbolic act. The Counsellors present; the members of the National Spiritual Assembly; Dean Jackson; Mr. Collins; Mr. George Hutchinson, architect and member of the National Bahá’í Properties Committee; Mr. Arthur Hampson, manager of National Bahá’í Properties; and Mr. Clark Cooper, electrical engineer, participated in this meaningful gesture. Climaxed by the soft and prayerful singing of “Alláh’u’-Abhá”, the formal dedication ceremonies were brought to a close and the doors of the buildings were opened wide to invite inspection.

It must be God has willed this place to be built!

—Ruth Hampson

Interior view of the auditorium building.

View of the two dormitories which are connected in the center.

[Page 10] Group attending a deepening institute at Vacoas, Mauritius on October 1, 1972.

Mauritius Teaching Institute

The Bahá’ís of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, were happy to receive an unexpected visit from Counsellor Mr. S. Vasudevan of Malaysia. The first institute for new believers was organized by the National Teaching Committee on October 1. It was conducted by Mr. Vasudevan with more than fifty friends attending, several from rural parts of the island.

In the afternoon the distinguished visitor delivered an inspiring talk on many aspects of the Faith at the National Institute. This gathering was attended by Counsellor Mr. S. Appa, Auxiliary Board member Mr. S. Mooten, who translated the message, and eight of the National Spiritual Assembly members.

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Argentine Official Receives Bahá’ís

The Governor of the Province of Santiago del Estero in Argentina, at far left, received the Bahá’ís during their mass teaching project at the end of June and accepted the volume The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh. Seventy new believers enrolled and a new Local Assembly was formed in Sucho Corral. Half-hour radio programs were given for six days, and articles appeared in the newspapers.

At the left of the Governor is Continental Board Counsellor Hooper Dunbar, and to his left, Juan Millalaf, Mapuche Indian from the south of Argentina. To the right of the Governor is seated National Spiritual Assembly member Mr. Zia Vojdani.

[Page 11]

Youth Conference in New Zealand

The second annual National Youth Conference of New Zealand was held in Nelson, at the northern part of South Island, on September 22-24. It was a success with 130 attending from all points of both islands. Most arrived on Friday and that evening was spent in singing and fellowship.

The Garcias were special guests. Auxiliary Board member Gina Garcia talked on the role of Auxiliary Board members. They taught a new song: “I Believe in Music.”

On Saturday all participated in the many classes. Jan and Darrell Wieve were appointed Secretary and Chairman, respectively. That evening two films were shown to a packed house. They were: “It’s Just the Beginning” and one from Hawaii. Singing and dancing occupied the time until all trooped off to a small cafe for refreshments. The owners kindly kept it open until 1:00 a.m. for the sixty Bahá’ís, all singing. Many people heard of the Faith that night.

On Sunday the National Spiritual Assembly consulted with the youth on youth recommendations. It was the first time the National Assembly had met outside the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Auckland.

When pioneers were called for, Dan Doyland, who recently declared, volunteered to go to the Chatham Islands which is 150 miles from the center of South Island where fishing is the main industry. Linda Hight, who pioneered to the goal city of Blenheim which is now flourishing, is off again. Dave Toohyi is also pioneering. To the first pioneer to arise an offer was made to pay for travel and the first week’s expenses.

There was also a call for volunteers to paint the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and many responded.

Upon departure, twenty Bahá’ís from North Island left by inter-island ferry and were allowed to sing on board. The captain was brought in and told of the Faith and presented with pamphlets.

Completing the job of painting the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Auckland, New Zealand.

The report concluded: “How lovely if a hundred or more of those reading this report would get their passports and come down and help us pioneer. It’s a beautiful country, plenty of room and very little smog.”

On the weekend of September 9-10, Bahá’ís from as far away as 300 miles came to paint the center in Auckland, New Zealand. Work started at 8:00 a.m. with about fifty scraping and painting. The house was surrounded by Bahá’ís having fun. Two coats of white paint were finished by the afternoon—and it rained just a half-hour after it was finished.

In the evening there was group singing. Two Canadian pioneers told about the activity in Canada. Most of the group working were volunteers from the Youth Conference. The work was well planned by several of the National Spiritual Assembly members, which made the inside-outside paint job possible in such a short time.

[Page 12]

A Life of Devotion
The Story of Ethel Murray

Ethel Murray at right with Indian and Bahá’í friends on the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina.

The exhortation of the Center of the Covenant, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to carry the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to the Indians of North America evoked whole-hearted response from Mrs. Ethel Murray. If obedience to the Center of the Covenant in this world is the source of joy to Bahá’ís in the Abhá Kingdom, she is now reaping that eternal harvest. She passed into the next world on August 5, 1972.

In her many years as a Bahá’í, Mrs. Murray enthusiastically supported the teaching plans of the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, built on the foundation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and in the advanced years of her life she found strength and purpose in living under difficult circumstances in the heart of the Cherokee Reservation, in North Carolina, to make known the coming of the Glory of God, Bahá’u’lláh.

Born in 1884, she was the younger and weaker of twins, with such delicate health that her activities were restricted and she was subject to pneumonia and other childhood illnesses. From the time of becoming a Bahá’í, in the early 1920’s, until just before her final illness, her health improved markedly and she seldom saw a doctor.

She became a Bahá’í in Springfield, Mass., after hearing of the Faith from Electa Timmerman, whom she had engaged to give her daughter, (now Mrs. Beth Newport) elocution lessons. A photographer by profession, she ardently turned her abilities and full interest to the activities of the Faith, with noted early teachers such as Harlan and Grace Ober, and Jenabi Fazel coming to assist her. When her marriage ended, she moved to Montclair, New Jersey, and for some time was in charge of a “Fellowship House”, where Bahá’ís could live for extended periods of time. For example, while Louis Gregory was on a long teaching trip, his wife, Louise, lived at Fellowship House. Such was the obedient attitude of dear Ethel that when she described her dream of expanding this House in a letter to the beloved Guardian, and he responded that now was not the time for the friends to gather themselves together apart from the rest of the world, but rather it was the time to scatter and teach the Faith, she immediately relinquished the idea and moved to Bloomfield, nearby.

Constantly seeking out opportunities to teach more actively, in 1936 she pioneered to Richmond, Virginia, as part of the first Seven Year Plan. Here, her economic situation was much more difficult due to lower rates of pay for her photographic work in the South. But she remained several years at her post, attempting to communicate the principle of the oneness of mankind. She had returned to New York area and was living with her daughter and son-in-law, when the stirring call for pioneers was uttered by Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum at the 1953 dedication of the House of Worship in Wilmette. Thinking that the call for elderly pioneers to “bury their bones” at pioneering posts applied especially to her, she went that November to North Carolina, with the Cherokee Reservation as her goal. Since residence on the Reservation was restricted to Indians, or those who could rent from Indians, she lived first in Asheville, then in Bryson City, nearer the Reservation, and finally felt her prayers were answered when she managed to rent a house from an Indian on the Reservation itself.

Later her landlord reclaimed the house to use for a giftshop, and she moved into a dilapidated shack which hadn’t been lived in for some time. She felt that this move, to a building without heat or plumbing, helped very much to draw her closer to the Indians, who lived in similar poverty. Even when a slightly better home became available later, it had no running water until the very end of her stay. She walked four miles for groceries, and felt Bahá’u’lláh had showered His blessings on her when a new bridge was built which shortened the distance to the store by a mile and one-half. For some years, her drinking water came from her rainbarrel.

Visiting her was like a continuous deepening class. To observe her actions was to witness the movements of one centered in the propagation of the Faith of God for this day. She gathered clothing to sell for a few pennies, then converted those pennies into mattresses for Indians who had never had them. Over the years, through prodigious effort and spartan economies, she saved enough money to buy twenty-three such mattresses for Indians, though

[Page 13] Ethel Murray, second from right in front of one of several successive Bahá’í Centers.

she herself slept on a thin quilt laid over a chest. She prayed ardently for the waiting souls to come to her door and always had shelter and food for anyone who came. She answered the letters which increasingly reached her as her service in the teaching field became known, always expressing her great happiness at the privilege of being on the Reservation. For some time she published a column of religious news and ideas in the local newspaper, until the opposition of local clergymen brought it to a halt. But by then, some of the newspaper personnel were her staunch friends and she had proclaimed widely the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

Her happiness at her post was a great blessing for Cherokee. “I was satisfied,” she recalled at the end of her life, “for I had as much and more than most of the Indians—I did not come to make them envious, and they knew I was not paid as a missionary.”

One who had the privilege of visiting her a number of times at Cherokee recalled seeing during each visit fresh signs of sacrifice and selflessness on the part of Mrs. Murray. “I remember marvelling at the amount of space in her small home which she had set aside as the Bahá’í meeting room. Then, when I came on a later visit, she had had a carpenter move the wall over, to reduce her small share of the space and increase that of the special room. It was always neatly arranged, with Bahá’í books, pictures and signs, and on the front of the small home was a big sign, ‘Bahá’í Center’.”

Her love and effort have securely established the Bahá’í Faith on this Reservation but only the future can make clear the result of such dedication. The physical hardships she experienced were considerable, but one never heard her speak of them. She simply brushed them aside, dwelling rather on the important goals and the means of teaching them. Each step taken on that Reservation must one day yield its fruits, as the Master has promised:

“One pearl is better than a thousand wildernesses of sand, especially this pearl of great price, which is endowed with divine blessing. Ere long thousands of other pearls will be born from it. When that pearl associates and becomes the intimate of the pebbles, they also all change into pearls.”*

*Tablets of the Divine Plan, page 52.

—Beth McKenty

Bahá’í Speaker on “Indian Culture”

Anselmo Heredia, an active Bahá’í teacher, was the first of the indigenous people of Bolivia to speak at the Eudianam Culture Center in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The founder of this Center said afterwards: “The Eudianam has finally fulfilled its purpose as we have had speakers from many countries but this is the first time indigenous people from Bolivia have spoken on our platform.”

The topic of Mr. Heredia was “Indian Culture.” Valentin Heredia, also a well-known Bahá’í traveling teacher, recited Inca poetry. The audience of over a hundred people were very impressed with the presentation.

In the photograph to the left is the Bahá’í Director of the Cultural Center; Augusto Villarroel; center, Anselmo Heredia; right, Valentin Heredia.

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Local Spiritual Assembly Formed in Falkland Islands

An important goal of the Nine Year Plan has been achieved with the establishment of a Spiritual Assembly on the Falkland Islands, formed on October 20, the Birthday of the Báb. This was made possible with the declaration of a Falkland Islander and the recent pioneering effort of Greg and Christina; Edwards of the United States in addition to the long-term efforts of pioneers John and Margaret (Mills) Leonard.

Only 2000 people live on the Islands and 1200 of them are in Port Stanley, the only city. Most of the residents not in Port Stanley are sheep-herders and live on remote stations throughout the islands. Since the arrival of the Edwards, they have been traveling around to all the sheep stations proclaiming the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and showing the film “It’s Just the Beginning.” Until this month travel to the islands was possible only by ship, but air service will soon be established which will allow travel-teachers from the mainland of South America to make more frequent trips to aid with the teaching and consolidation.

This hard-won goal is the result of many years of effort on the part of pioneers from the United States and England and is one of the southernmost Assemblies in the world.

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Macau Has Assembly

Macau, the Portuguese colony just a seventy-minute hydrofoil ride from Hong Kong, now has its Assembly. The friends of Macau recently embarked on teaching trips to two of the neighboring islands in Taipei and obtained a remarkable reception. They left nine new believers in Taipei Island.

They have also made a trip to another nearby island, Coloane, and gained, in a day, one declaration and several interested inquirers. The spiritual link of these islands will soon be enhanced by reason of a bridge being built to join these localities.

—MALAYSIAN BAHÁ’Í NEWS, July-August, 1972.

[Page 14]

“Him Will the Faithful Spirit Strengthen ...”

Pioneer Teaching Trip Report—Baskin/Hansen

“Teaching is marvelous in these remote areas. The people seem to recognize the truth immediately. They seem to know that Bahá’u’lláh has been sent from God. Some whom we met had had dreams of our coming. They accepted our visit as if they had been expecting us.”

This is the essential spirit of a letter from Bolivian pioneers Dorothy and Reginald Baskin and son Benjamin Hansen who spent almost five weeks following the Panama House of Worship Dedication and Conference travel-teaching in Panama, Colombia and Ecuador before returning to their post in Cochabamba.

Traveling by plane, jeep and spine-jarring bus rides for up to three days over primitive roads, they visited various Indian tribes high in the “cold, foggy mountain area” of the Andes, the Guajira Indians “on the dry, remote northern peninsula of Colombia” and the black people who inhabit the humid jungle villages and towns of the coastal lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador.

Meeting up often with other traveling teams of pioneers and finding some temporary sustenance and relief from the rigors of travel in far-flung pioneer homes, they visited seventeen localities in their arduous criss-cross journeys.

After teaching in Colón, Panama with a team that included Edris Rice-Wray, her daughter and Jorge and Chaspie Angulo from Mexico and Larry Day from California, they flew to Bogotá, Colombia for the Counsellors’ Conference May 5-7. “It is almost impossible to transmit on paper the spirit of love, unity and fellowship that existed in that historic reunion. A delegation of thirty-nine Persians had continued on from Panama to be present, along with Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery and his wife. I’ve never seen such harmony and cooperation between East and West.”

After presentation of the Colombian National Spiritual Assembly’s precisely detailed teaching plan to bring in 100,000 new believers by Riḍván, voluntary contributions

Bolivian pioneers Beverly Bennet (left) with Richard and Gloria Hutchins traveling along the shore of Lake Titicaca.

During a consolidation trip near Umbato, Ecuador, the Bolivian pioneer family, Reginald and Dorothy Hansen and Benjamin Hansen visit with a Salasaca Indian Bahá’í and her son on May 30, 1972.

of money or services were asked. “In two hours over $17,000 was offered, mostly by the Persians ... Over twenty native volunteers arose ... The presence of the Giachery family was an added bounty. Mrs. Giachery had us all in tears as she told of their early pioneering experiences in Rome.”

After the Conference, they traveled thirty-eight hours on a bus with new Auxiliary Board member Maxine Roth, to Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast of Colombia to teach in nearby Santa Lucia, “about three hours by bus into the countryside from the city.” “Thirteen others joined us from the United States, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia” and (we) “happily jogged off again into the jungle singing Bahá’í songs. Santa Lucia has a goal of 2,000 Bahá’ís by Riḍván ... There were 500 in the little village when we arrived, including a functioning Local Spiritual Assembly. We all stayed in the home of a new local believer where we strung hammocks in every available spot in the house. We were joined next day by Counsellor Hooper Dunbar, Leco Zamora and Tommy Kavelin who slept on the floor. We had public meetings every night with songs, slides and brief talks. The second night 800 came to the public meeting in a theater, and some of us had to stay outside to handle impromptu songs and talks for about 200 who were battering the doors down trying to get in after the hall was filled. All day we would teach in the streets and visit children’s classes. Over 380 became Bahá’ís in those three days ... The Assembly planned a meeting in a house which would hold forty at the most. Over 200 came. With the contributions we all left, the Local Spiritual Assembly decided to buy a library for the town and send traveling teachers to a nearby town ... Santa Lucia now (July, 1972) has 1,200 believers plus 110

[Page 15] in two nearby communities.”

From Santa Lucia they went on to the Counsellor’s Conference with the Guajira Indians, stopping en route at Rio Hacha “where we were met by Auxiliary Board member Habíb Rezvani and welcomed like kings to the Bahá’í Center there. Habíb’s mother takes care of the Center with such devotion and love that as one enters the grounds one cannot help feeling this love which seems to permeate even the sands upon which the Institute is built.”

The next stop was “by jeep out to Manauri, an extremely remote, desolate looking village where the Counsellor’s Conference was held. The Indians came in from the nearby reservation in long flowing dresses and breech cloths. The land is extremely poor, barren, dry. At Manauri ... one can see only vast expanses of sea, sky, and salt flats ... The only source of income for the Guajiras seems to be laboriously digging out salt from the flats, sacking it, and carrying it on the backs of men, women and children to trucks which take it into town to sell. These people must be among the poorest Indians in South America. The women do not speak Spanish, only Guajira ...

“Leco Zamora, one of the greatest Indian teachers in South America, felt very much at home with the Guajiras. He felt that the land and the people were very much like his land, the Chaco of Argentina, and his people, the Matacos. The Guajiras welcomed him as a blood brother too. Out on the reservation, after the Conference when we returned to their homes with some of the Guajiras, Leco taught late into the night to spellbound men in loin cloths, by flickering candlelight. They asked him all kinds of questions that they were even shy to ask Hooper, who had read Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s ‘Letter to the Indigenous People of the Americas’. The friends wanted to know about the soul, afterlife, dreams, all the worlds of God. They said they had heard that men had traveled to the moon, and they wanted to know if it were true. Finally, in the middle of the night, when Indians from all around had gathered, they brought out the drums, formed a large circle, and began to do a wild running dance in which a shrouded woman chases a man who must run backwards. They fly around and around the circle at astonishing speeds until the man falls or the girl tires ... Those places we visited out on the reservation were Moosiche and Mauhuasi.”

Parting from Counsellor Hooper Dunbar and Leco Zamora who continued on to the Guajira of Venezuela, they returned for two days to Barranquilla where the doctor treated both Baskins for various painful and debilitating health conditions before they jolted on again by bus for a day and a night up into the mountains toward Medellín. Once the bus was stopped so the passengers could get out and help chop up storm-felled trees blocking the narrow road. On other occasions on buses in Colombia they had been stopped several times each night by the army as the country was under martial law and all men had to show identification. “Larry Day and Reggie seemed to always be under suspicion, perhaps because they are black but do not look Colombian.”

In Medellín they gratefully accepted hot showers and hot soup from the Leeds during a few hours’ stop and then continued on for another all night ride to Cali. “In Cali we met a team already gathered for mass teaching in Valle and Cauca. There must have been twenty people staying at the home of Dr. Arbab. His dear wife was cooking marvelous meals for everybody, and always smiling. We went to reunions in the barrios there and out to a place in the country a few hours away, Puerto Tejada. Most of the people there were black and very receptive to the Faith. Around thirty-five entered the Faith in a couple of hours ... We met in the home of a family which seemed like old, firm Bahá’ís. It turned out they had just become Bahá’ís the week before. The spirit all over

Local Bahá’ís of Santa Lucia, Colombia provided a lunch of fresh fish from a nearby river for the visiting teaching team of pioneers from Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela and the United States.

Colombia is really exciting. Dr. Arbab has a printing press in his basement, and follow up materials for mass conversion areas are in constant production. New Bahá’ís are immediately involved in teaching and deepening others, so the work never stops ...

“From Cali we flew to Quito on May 24 where we joined another large group of pioneers gathered at Charles and Helen Hornby’s house. Charles is Auxiliary Board member for Ecuador. From there we took another all night bus ride down the mountains to the jungle banana plantation country of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. This was a sort of homecoming for Benjamin and me (Dorothy), for we had spent about three weeks there in 1970 when we answered Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s call for traveling teachers after the Intercontinental Conference in La Paz. This return gave us a chance to see a mass conversion area two years after the original teaching. Some of the old Bahá’ís were still there and still firm. Many others had

Following the Panama Conference, Reginald and Dorothy Baskin and son Benjamin Hansen made a consolidation trip to the mountains near Umbato, Chibuleo, Ecuador, and are shown with a Chibuleo family. Dorothy and a Chibuleo girl have exchanged hats, a gesture of international understanding.

[Page 16] Local Spiritual Assembly of Santa Lucia, Colombia on May 12, 1972, planning an evening meeting with visiting pioneers from Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela and the United States. They were also deciding how to spend contributions of the team. The decision was to buy books to start a local Bahá’í library and send a traveling teacher to open a neighboring village. The meeting was attended by 200. A month later, two new villages had been opened up with 112 new believers.

Traveling teacher Larry Day from San Fernando, California, giving the Message of Bahá’u’lláh in Spanish during the mass teaching effort in Santa Lucia, Colombia when over 350 accepted the Faith in three days. (May 10, 1972)

drifted away, and many new ones have come in since we were there. The concentration now seems to be on children’s classes. The National Spiritual Assembly recently sponsored a National Children’s Conference in Esmeraldas ...”

On the way back to Quito they stopped at Quinenday, an all black jungle village reminiscent of the rural South. There they saw old friends, taught new ones and had children’s classes.

“In Quito we had an unexpected visit and reunion with Continental Counsellor Mas‘úd Khamsí. About fifteen returning and arriving pioneers from all over South America were present at the Hornbys,” Questioned by a pioneer, “What is the most valuable quality for a pioneer?”, Mr. Khamsí replied, “Obedience”. Questioned further as to the relative importance of obedience and patience, Mr. Khamsí pointed out that “If you are obedient, you are bound to become patient.”

At the request of the Ecuador National Spiritual Assembly the Baskin family and Larry Day went to visit the Chibuleyos, a mountain people living about a half-day’s trip outside Quito near Umbato. “These Quechua speaking Indians are said to have originated in Bolivia in pre-Colombian times ... We went by jeep with Raoul Pavor, co-ordinator of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador, and a team of native and pioneer Bahá’ís. We had wonderful visits with several families there ... We also gave a presentation at the community public school where about three-fourths of the children are Bahá’ís. We had songs from around the world, prayers, and even a geography lesson with a plastic collapsible globe ... Reggie was always ready with his guitar to sing in English, Quechua, and African (Tokosane). The Bahá’í students taught their young male teachers (O God, guide me, protect me ...)”

Traveling with the same team, they went on beyond Umbato to visit the Salasaca Indians in an area newly opened last year. “These seem to be a very closed people, but most of them are artisans and I am sure a strong community can be established among them in the future.”

Reluctantly, they left Ecuador, flying into Lima where they met up with another large group of pioneers at the Khamsí home. “The Khamsí family hospitality is one of the wonders of the South American Continent ... Mr. Khamsí is so calm, loving and wise that he inspires pioneers to go always forward to accomplish goals we never dreamed we could. Jane always feeds us well for the road.”

They indeed needed to be well-fed for the road for they were to spend three days and a night on a bus from Lima, Peru to La Paz, Bolivia before making the final push on to home in Cochabamba. The only break was a few hours stop over in Arequipa (Peru) at the home of Annamarie and Bill Baker, “another oasis of love and hominess for us wandering South American pioneers.”

And finally: “This entire five week trip ... has certainly refreshed and gladdened our spirits. It has given us a new perspective on the teaching, deepening and consolidation work in Latin America. It was wonderful and inspiring to teach with the friends from other countries and exchange ideas and inspirations ... it was almost as though the Bahá’ís are already living in a Bahá’í world without frontiers.”

Clyde Johnson, left, pioneer from Paraguay, and Reginald Baskin, pioneer from Bolivia, on an international teaching project in a jungle village in the State of Santa Cruz.

[Page 17] Members of the Youth Project from the United States and pioneers at the public meeting of the teaching campaign.

During the teaching campaign in Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador traveling teachers from Canada, Írán, the United States and Germany participated, although the friends from Germany are not shown in the picture.

Teaching in Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador

In Ecuador, the city of Santo Domingo de los Colorados was the spot chosen during the period June 20 through July 29, 1972 for all levels of society to receive the joyful Message of the coming of Bahá’u’lláh.

Santo Domingo was chosen as the first in a series of all-out proclamation campaigns for the last year of the Nine Year Plan because of its strategic position between the mountain capital city of Quito and the port city of Guayaquil. It is a melting pot of the black, white and Indian peoples in Ecuador. The Colorado Indian tribe from whom the city received its name had not yet been approached by Bahá’u’lláh’s advancing army.

And what an army it was that converged on this unsuspecting city! The forward thrust was sustained by a small core of experienced native teachers and pioneers. Reenforcement came from fourteen near and distant Ecuadorian Bahá’í communities and from newly arrived pioneers from the United States, Canada and Germany. Among the U. S. contingent were four summer-project youth. You could say the rear guard was the National Spiritual Assembly which met in Santo Domingo almost at the end of the campaign. Continental Counsellor, Mr. Mas‘úd Khamsí was an inspiration during the first days of the campaign as were Auxiliary Board members Mr. Rufino Gualayí and Mr. Charles Hornby.

As Bahá’u’lláh’s foot soldiers spread throughout the city, talking to everyone who would listen, the radio was used to announce public meetings at the newly rented Bahá’í Center. It was hard going at first, but the believers were sustained by prayer and devotion and momentum began to build up; enrollments increased; the second stage of the campaign was initiated. All eight neighborhoods were again visited and while individual proclamation and enrollment continued, large meetings were also held with slide presentations and singing while over the radio the message of the coming of Bahá’u’lláh and His healing Teachings were heard. Nightly public meetings held at the Center were now being well attended. Every high school was visited and a large meeting was held at the largest and best known high school, Colegio Técnico Julio Moreno. Sorties were made to nearby villages and six new localities were opened to the Faith. One was the village of the Colorado (means red) Indians where it was necessary to formally ask permission of the tribal Chief to visit and speak of the Faith. The Saracay is both civil and traditional ruler of some 800 souls. As befitted the occasion and to show proper respect, a special team was chosen including Auxiliary Board member Rufino Gualavisí and Mrs. Clementina de Pavón who speak Quichua fluently and reflect that inner love, humility and wisdom possible to those approaching seventy years of age. The Message of Bahá’u’lláh was warmly received by the Saracay and arrangements were made to meet with village leaders the following week. On this occasion, the Faith was again explained and warmly received and a third meeting was called by the Chief to which all Colorado Indians were invited. The last meeting was held during a tropical rain storm. The chief expressed his surprise and pleasure that the friends would keep their word and come during a heavy rain. The Saracay accepted the Faith personally and in behalf of the entire tribe and gave permission for the believers to return and teach each individual so that they could each decide. There were nine declarations.

In the city of Santo Domingo and in several of the surrounding villages, the campaign entered its third stage, consolidation. Children’s classes were held in each neighborhood and preparation for the election of Local Spiritual Assemblies was begun. Again the radio was used effectively to explain further the Teachings as well as fundamentals of Bahá’í Administration. Members of the National Spiritual Assembly were called upon to explain points of Bahá’í Administration and a practice Assembly election was held at an all-day conference on July 23.

A word should be said about the election of the Local Spiritual Assembly in Santo Domingo. Many new believers from eight different neighborhoods came together for the first time! No one seemed to know more than two or three persons present and there was great confusion. But after the spiritual nature of Bahá’í elections was explained and prayers were said, a beautiful Assembly of the most informed and active believers was elected. They held their first meeting that night and their second at 8:00 a.m. the following morning!

And let there be a word of praise, an expression of profound admiration for those precious ones, the soldiers of Bahá’u’lláh. Santo Domingo is a hot, humid, tropical city; the friends were brought together so suddenly from different cultures, different languages, young and old, veterans and new recruits, sleeping on the floor of two rented rooms without adequate facilities, eating in local restaurants, but you would have never known!

The results: 475 declarations, 6 new localities, 3 Local Spiritual Assemblies, 1 new tribe.

What is the secret? What is it that causes our efforts to be crowned with joy and glory? Is it the words of guidance and inspiration of the beloved Guardian and The Universal House of Justice that gradually influence our institutions and the hearts and actions of the believers: “teach the masses, proclamation, consolidation, let the youth arise, all levels of society, redouble your efforts in behalf of your less fortunate sister communities who are not free to teach, increase cooperation at the national level, eliminate all traces of prejudice, be assured of our prayers, live the life” .. or is it just that God’s Will will be done and we, without deserving, have been chosen as His instruments?

[Page 18]

THE GREAT SAFARI

of Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum

By Violette Nakhjavání Companion

Part eleven

“Our next stop was in the small town of Kakenge which is central to several villages where many Bahá’ís reside. As there was no Bahá’í home that could receive us once again we went to the Catholic Mission and spent the first night there. The next morning, however, we were politely told we must leave the mission where we had planned to stay two nights. The little Belgian priest was not openly hostile but it seemed the Mission school had a local board of Congolese directors and they had met and insisted the Bahá’ís had no right to use the Mission guest rooms. It was the only experience of this kind we ever had; usually we neither say we are Christians nor Bahá’ís, we are travelers on our way. Rúḥíyyih Khánum makes a special point of being kind and courteous to members of other faiths, particularly the Missionaries who are often examples of self-sacrifice and devotion to high ideals. After consultation with some of the Bahá’ís we moved to the village of Budimba five miles away to the home of the dear believers. We were much happier there than at the Mission! For the next two days we visited other villages in that area.

One of the exciting things along the roads in this district are the signs “Bahá’í Center” of such and such a village. Many of these signs were especially decorated with flowers and greens as a token of loving welcome to Amatu’l-Bahá. These numerous Bahá’í Centers are huts built with twigs and branches, some with mud walls and others with open walls and a thatched roof, some quite large. They are cool and adequate for their purpose and they were invariably decorated with flowers and streamers of fancy cut paper as a welcome to the Hand of the Cause.

In the village of Ishamba several chiefs from the neighboring villages, some of them Bahá’ís, came to meet Amatu’l-Bahá and offer their respects. Most of them were ceremonially dressed in their fascinating traditional costumes made of fine rafia cloth and decorated with cowerie shells, beads and skins of wild animals. The Chief wore a small embroidered and woven rafia cap or a fancy bunch of feathers as headgear. Over one hundred attended this meeting. When one realizes that sometimes Bahá’ís had come distances of 50 or 60 kilometers on foot (this seems to be the main and general means of moving about) one appreciates even more the devotion and love of these dear souls.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum spoke frequently on the immortality of the soul of man and its continued progress after death. One of the friends asked: “Why it is that a child, often at the beginning of its life, suddenly dies. What happens to the soul of that child?” Amatu’l-Bahá told them of the example ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave that a man’s life is like a lamp; each lamp has a specific quantity of oil and should burn to the end of that oil. One lamp may have a small amount of oil and will burn out very soon when the oil finishes. How much oil is given to us when we come into this world is not in our hands. The progress and development of a soul which has left this world in infancy or childhood will continue under other conditions in the next world. Then she said: “The Master explains there is another form of death, the accidental death. Presumably the lamp is full of oil and is meant to burn for a full term, but foolishly this lamp may be placed in a draft and a sudden gush of wind blows it out. Through negligence, carelessness or stupidity accidental death can occur. This

Five of the Chiefs who welcomed Rúḥíyyih Khánum in the meeting at Ishamba village, Occidental Kasai, Zaïre.

kind of death could have been prevented.” Rúḥíyyih Khánum went on to say that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had said there are three mysteries in this world which we cannot understand fully while we are here: the suffering of the innocent for the guilty, the nature of life after death and where the line falls between predestination and free will.

The people of Zaïre are very musical and the Bahá’ís have composed many beautiful songs about the Faith. One in particular I remember was specially written as a welcome for Amatu’l-Bahá. In almost all our meetings there was much joyous singing as part of the program. In the small town of Kakenge, although the number of Bahá’ís are few, over eighty people gathered to welcome Rúḥíyyih Khánum. A question which was asked in this meeting as well as many other meetings was about the meaning of the Trinity and the nature of the Holy Spirit. Amatu’l-Bahá, in very simple words told them of the unique and beautiful example given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, of the sun, the rays of the sun and the mirror, likening these to Almighty God, the source of light and life; the Holy Spirit, the rays emanating from the sun; the Manifestations of God Who are the perfect mirrors, the recipients of the rays which convey the qualities of the sun. Although these are three separate things, the power and the glory of the sun can be seen in the mirror. She said that this is the Bahá’í explanation of the church doctrine of the Trinity.

Fourteen miles of unbelievably treacherous road took us to the village of Lukembe where over thirty devoted believers, including some pygmies of the Batua tribe, were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their much loved guest.

[Page 19] These people make their livelihood by hunting.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum spoke specially on the power of prayer and the importance of teaching the children to repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” which in itself is a prayer so that at moments of fear or distress, through repeating these blessed words, they may invoke the help and the protection of God. During the period of questions, a dear old hunter asked: “Is there a special prayer a hunter can use to catch his game?” Rúḥíyyih Khánum said: “When you set off to hunt repeat the words ‘Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá’ and beg Bahá’u’lláh to assist, guide and protect you on your hunt.” He was very pleased and at the end of the meeting he presented Rúḥíyyih Khánum with a small deer he had killed that morning.

The next day Amatu’l-Bahá had three meetings in three different villages. In Benalongo, where the community is very new and in need of strengthening, she spoke at length about Bahá’u’lláh referring to His wonderful and significant dream when still a child. Dreams and their interpretation have a very special meaning for the Africans. Rúḥíyyih Khánum told them about this dream of Bahá’u’lláh in which He floated on the sea and every strand of His blessed hair was taken in the mouth of a fish. When he awoke and told His father of this dream, the father went to an interpreter of dreams. The explanation given was that this child would bring a great Message to the whole world and the people, like the fishes of the sea, would cling to His Teachings. The glow of ecstasy and rapture on the faces of the audience was a never-to-be forgotten sight.

In the village of Pianga Matadi Amatu’l-Bahá was ceremoniously received by the chief, a non-Bahá’í, but very sympathetic to the Faith. Both he and his wife were dressed in their traditional costumes. They were a very beautiful old couple with noble faces and a noble bearing. During the meeting, when one or two of the rather fanatical members of the audience tried to cause trouble and start an argument, this Chief, with great dignity and authority, ordered them to be silent. He said: “These wonderful teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are to unite mankind and bring about harmony and brotherhood. You should not make them the cause of strife. No one is forcing you to accept these Teachings. If you like it remain here and listen; if you don’t like it, you are free to go and leave others to partake from this heavenly food.”

Amatu’l-Bahá confirmed his words by quoting Bahá’u’lláh on the purpose of religion; that it should be the cause of unity and harmony and if it is the cause of inharmony and disunity, to be without religion is better than having it.

The people of the Congo in general and the Bakuba tribe in particular are among the most artistic people in this vast continent of Africa; one of their beautiful handicrafts is rafia woven cloth for their ceremonial costumes which is decorated with cowerie shell, beads and skins of wild animals. The last meeting of that day was in the village of Budimba where over 150 friends from far and near gathered to welcome Rúḥíyyih Khánum.

One of the friends asked if among the white people sorcery and witchcraft also existed. Rúḥíyyih Khánum said: “maybe not in the form in which it exists in Africa but among the white people, too, there are all kinds of superstitions and manifestations of fanaticism which could be likened to sorcery. It is not confined to any one race.”

In the village of Bakua Mbuyi, where we stayed two nights holding three different meetings, the believers were specially blessed as these meetings really were more in the nature of a continuous deepening class. At times over 200 people were crammed inside the Bahá’í Center as well as outside, looking and listening through every opening in the wall! Many of these friends had walked long distances to be present. The audience roared with laughter when a non-Bahá’í asked how Bahá’u’lláh could be the Promised One if he was descended from Katura and not from Sarah. Rúḥíyyih Khánum calmly replied: “Because the Covenant of God was with Abraham and not with his wives!”

Asked when she thought these wonderful twelve principles of Bahá’u’lláh would be implemented in the world, Rúḥíyyih Khánum explained that in the first place it is wrong to say “Twelve Principles” as there is really no such thing. Bahá’u’lláh never mentioned such a thing. “If you stop and count the social principles given by Bahá’u’lláh they come to much more than twelve, and if you study the talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá you will see that He

Amatu’l-Bahá in the village of Budimba, Occidental Kasai, Zaïre. At the left is the house where they slept.

[Page 20] mentioned different principles in His different talks. So it is very misleading to always refer to ‘Twelve Principles’.” She pointed out that many of these social principles, since Bahá’u’lláh revealed them, have been implemented by the various nations and leaders of the world, unaware of their source; for example, compulsory education, equality of the sexes, and many others.

In the village of Batua-Mwana-Bende where the Bahá’í Chief and his two wives received Rúḥíyyih Khánum in their ceremonial costumes, she spoke at great length on the importance of preserving the beautiful traditions of their past and being proud of their tribes. She told them how, with every additional tribe represented in the Cause, the beloved Guardian used to add their name to his list and joyously announce it to the Bahá’í world. Then she said; “I also belong to some tribes; I am descended from the McBean, the Sutherland and the Maxwell clans in Scotland.” This remark always caused a strong reaction of surprise and joy from the Africans!

Some of the friends related significant dreams that had led them to recognition of the Blessed Beauty. One young man told how a year before he ever heard of the Faith, in a dream he saw a figure dressed in white, shining with a divine radiance, before whose feet he immediately prostrated himself, and was hurt and surprised to see that no other member of his family paid homage to this heavenly figure. When he became a Bahá’í he recognized ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the one before whom he had prostrated himself in his dream. With sadness he finished his story by saying, that no one in his family had accepted the Faith as yet.

Another devoted Bahá’í told us how for some time he had been rejecting the Faith and allowing doubts to keep him from recognizing and accepting the Cause of God. Then on three successive nights he had very strange and significant dreams which led him to whole-heartedly accepting Bahá’u’lláh. The first night he saw the Infant Christ in the arm of His mother. The second night he saw the blazing rays of the sun on the sea making a straight path across it. On the third night he saw the brilliant rays of the sun penetrating his house and filling it with a glow of perfect light. After this his heart was reassured and he accepted the Faith. The friends were spellbound when Rúḥíyyih Khánum recounted some of

Amatu’l-Bahá with the Chief in the village of Pianga Matadi, Occidental Kasai, Zaïre.

the beautiful dreams her mother had had in her childhood and youth which prepared her for acceptance and recognition of the Message of God.

In the village of Bena Leke the only accommodation available to us was an empty shop on the main road which we rented for two nights. The neighboring family kindly permitted us to use their outdoor toilet facilities and borrow their petrolux lamp. So for two days we had the experience of living right in the middle of the town, where often curious passers by would stop to ask us who we were and what we were doing. In two meetings Amatu’l-Bahá spoke to about seventy believers, most of them from the neighboring villages and some even from far away ones in the bush. One man with his wives and children had walked a distance of sixty kilometers to attend these meetings! Although the number of Bahá’ís living in Bena Leke was small, all these dear visitors from far away were taken into the homes of the local believers and cared for lovingly. A number of very devoted and active Bahá’í women had come from another nearby village so Rúḥíyyih Khánum spoke especially on the role and responsibility of women. She spoke of the life and station of such a woman as Táhirih, the martyr and poetess. She also spoke of the influence of a woman on the spiritual destiny of not only her children but also her husband. She told us of an incident in the life of her parents which she had heard from her own mother. Before the birth of Rúḥíyyih Khánum, when her father, Mr. Maxwell, was still not a Bahá’í and Mrs. Maxwell very active and always busy with the work of the Faith (as she always was to the end of her life) Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s father one day said to her mother that he felt they were drifting apart and he would just spend more and more time on his profession and their marriage would suffer because of this difference in interests. Mrs. Maxwell was upset by these words as they loved each other very deeply and she was afraid that she might lose her husband’s love. She felt she wanted to reassure him and tell him that for his sake she was ready to pay more attention to him and be less active in serving the Cause, but her heart would not let her do this. So she said to her husband that he remembered before she married him she told him that this Faith would always come first in her life and if he felt this way, she would just have to go on alone. Mr. Maxwell thought for a while and then took his wife’s hand in his and assured her that he was willing to go all the way with her. This was really the beginning of his becoming a Bahá’í. Rúḥíyyih Khánum concluded this story by saying that if her mother had compromised and given in to her fear of losing her husband the whole course of her life as well as their life together would have been very different. If she had wavered then, her own faith would have weakened, her husband might have never accepted the Faith.

Often Rúḥíyyih Khánum was asked what she thought about Simon Kimbangu and the sect he founded, which is now wide-spread in Zaïre. In the early 1930s this devout Congolese Catholic Christian believed that the church should be adapted to more African ways and introduced his own ideas and methods into his congregation or church. He was seized by the colonial powers, accused of being a disturbing element, and after almost thirty years of unjust imprisonment, died a prisoner. He never claimed any special right or position for himself and had the reputation of being a very good man. However, some years after his death his son took over the ideas his father had preached, proclaimed his father a Prophet (which Simon Kimbangu himself had never claimed) and also that his religion was a genuine Congolese religion. This sect has already divided into four subsects. Aside from some of its teachings it has now become a tightly-knit commercial enterprise something like a large co-operative which provides businesses on a small scale for individual members, opens schools and is generally profitable

[Page 21] to belong to, resembling somewhat in this respect Ismailis or followers of the Aga Khan.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum explained the difference between a Prophet who claims to be sent by God and a reformer. Simon Kimbangu never claimed to be a Prophet, but tried to introduce some improvements into the religion he loved and believed.

She gave a vivid, original, and beautiful example. She said suppose for many years you have used a special candle, blue in color, sold to you by your village shopkeeper. One day one of your neighbors comes to you and says “Look, I have a red candle, it is made in our own village by our own people, so why should we go on buying the imported blue candle?” There will then be a dispute between the traders who sold the original blue candles and the supporters of the home-made red candles. At this point the government brings to your village electricity and informs you that you can now have electricity in your homes. What, then, is the use of wasting any more time in arguing over the superiority of a red candle over a blue candle? Once you have electricity you do not want candles anyway. The friends immediately caught the point and liked this example very much.

In addition to the two meetings Rúḥíyyih Khánum had with the dear Bahá’ís in this village, a well-attended public meeting was arranged with the help and encouragement of the military district officer. Over forty people came and stayed on asking questions until it was too dark to continue.

The Bahá’ís of Milamba, many of whom had been attending these meetings requested that when she continued her journey she stop and have some prayers with them and bless their village. We agreed to this request and stopped in Milamba. Next at Tshimbambula there were over sixty believers gathered to welcome her in their Bahá’í Center who eagerly listened to her words.

In two well-attended meetings in the village of Tshibala, Amatu’l-Bahá spoke to over fifty Bahá’ís and their friends.

A young man, a member of the Apostolic Church which is quite wide-spread in that area, dressed in his long white robe and carrying a shepherd’s crook as tall as himself—supposedly in remembrance of the Apostles of Christ, the Shepherds of mankind—asked Rúḥíyyih Khánum: “How is it that you, a woman, teach and preach when in the Gospels St. Paul clearly says no woman should do this?”

The Bahá’í and his family who walked 60 kilometers to meet Amatu’l-Bahá in Bena Leke, Occidental Kasai, Zaïre.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum smiled and said “When St. Paul, 2000 years ago, made this comment, there were no cars and no radios and your ancestors hunted for their food in the bush and wore no clothes such as the one you are wearing now. If you are ready to go back to living the way they did in St. Paul’s time and give up all the things that you have acquired in this modern age, then I am also ready to stop teaching and preaching!” At this answer the women who were sitting at one side of the room broke into thunderous applause and loud laughter. This was the first time we had seen such an open response of complete agreement.

To say, as many foreigners do, that women in Africa are downtrodden and have no rights is a very superficial judgment of things, especially as the situation varies greatly from tribe to tribe. Many tribes afford their women certain rights and privileges which, though they may not be exactly the same rights women have been clamoring for in other parts of the world, are nevertheless very substantial and make the women very independent. One thing was quite clear in Zaïre, whether in the villages or in the cities; the purse strings are in the hands of the woman; she runs the home, and often the business too, and controls the money. Many Treasurers of Local Assemblies are women!

(To be continued)

Rúḥíyyih Khánum with the Bahá’ís in the village of Milamba, Occidental Kasai, Zaïre.

[Page 22]

VIEWS — NORWEGIAN TEMPLE SITE

Norwegian Temple site as seen from the road, up the natural stone slope.

Views from the Norwegian Temple site

[Page 23]

BAHÁ’Í RINGSTONES

The symbol on Bahá’í ringstone is a visual reminder of God’s purposes for man, and for Bahá’ís in particular.

Bahá’í ringstones are now available for distribution through your local Bahá’í librarian or the Publishing Trust or other distribution committee authorized by your National Spiritual Assembly.

The ringstones may be obtained in several colors, sizes and shapes and can be mounted in the setting of your choice by your local jeweler.

The carnelian, white agate and black and green onyx ringstones are made from natural gemstones. The others are made from hard, gemstone-quality long-wearing synthetic spinel or corundum. Each stone is hand-engraved with the symbol above and filled with fine gold.

Prices may be obtained from your local Bahá’í librarian.

[Page 24]

CONTENTS

Dedication of Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute (Photograph) 1 Glimpses of Early Bahá’í Pilgrimages 2 National Spiritual Assembly of Dahomey, Togo and Niger (Photograph) 6 National Spiritual Assembly of Bolivia (Photograph) 6 Counsellors Conference at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 7 Dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute 8 Mauritius Teaching Institute 10 Argentine Official Receives Bahá’ís 10 Youth Conference in New Zealand 11 A Life of Devotion—The Story of Ethel Murray 12 Bahá’í Speaker on “Indian Culture” 13 Local Spiritual Assembly Formed in Falkland Islands 13 Macau Has Assembly 13 “Him Will the Faithful Spirit Strengthen”—Pioneer Teaching Trip Report—Baskin/Hansen 14 Teaching in Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador 17 The Great Safari of Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum 18 Views—Norwegian Temple Site (Photographs) 22 Bahá’í Ringstones 23 Essay Contest Sponsored in Liberia 24

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FOREIGN SUBSCRIPTIONS to BAHÁ’Í NEWS: Local Assemblies, groups and individuals in countries other than the United States and Canada must inquire of their own National Spiritual Assembly. It is shipped in bulk to each National Assembly for distribution within their national area.

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Essay Contest Sponsored in Liberia

Youth panel, Bahá’ís and others, discussing “The Role of Individual Youth in Achieving World Peace”. Second from the left is United States pioneer Don Berkman.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of West Africa appointed a National Youth Contest Committee to plan an essay contest among the non-Bahá’í high school youth in Liberia on the occasion of World Peace Day. In collaboration with the National Publicity and Proclamation Committee they chose the topic “The Role Of Individual Youth In Achieving World Peace.” Posters and fly-sheets were made and distributed to the various high schools throughout Liberia. The response from the students was very encouraging, making the choice of the three prize winners a difficult one. The first, second, and third place winners each received a cash prize and a Bahá’í book, which was presented by the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of West Africa at a well attended public meeting where Bahá’í youth and other youth of various religious denominations participated in a panel discussion, followed by a highly stimulating talk on the subject of “World Peace.” The young audience, made up mostly of students, later broke up into smaller question and answer groups.

This proclamation event received excellent coverage by radio and television. Several interviews were given before and after the contest, and the national newspaper gave publicity. One radio interviewer asked when the Bahá’ís would sponsor another such contest because he thought this was very worth while.

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BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community.

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