Bahá’í World/Volume 6/Survey of Current Bahá’í Activities in the East and West
SURVEY OF CURRENT BAHÁ’Í ACTIVITIES IN THE EAST AND WEST
INTERNATIONAL
BY HORACE HOLLEY
THE true progress of the Bahá’í world community in recent years has been in its understanding of Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith rather than in numbers or social power. Without this deepened insight into the nature of the Faith, indeed, any considerable advance in the number of adherents might have raised problems an inexperienced and collectively unprepared body of believers would find difficulty in bringing to a solution.
The vital importance of this fact appears when it is appreciated to what a degree, at least throughout the West, the early believers unconsciously and instinctively accepted the Bahá’í Faith as the “return of Christ.” Grasping the Teachings only from the aspect of their confirmation of the views entering into a long historical expectation, the first generation of Bahá’ís felt themselves living in a spiritual Kingdom such as Jesus created for His followers—a Kingdom of the heart and inmost spirit raised high above the perturbations or conquests of an unbelieving world. The days of Christ, they felt, had been divinely restored; whence their privilege and most sacred duty to live and serve according to the conditions surrounding the ancient Apostles.
The fact that Bahá’u’lláh had not only re-established the heavenly Kingdom of faith but had vastly extended the scope of religion, the fact that His Teachings fulfilled expectation not by simple repetition of divine doctrine already revealed but by creating an entirely new dimension for spiritual reality, was not clearly apprehended because the first believers of the West had no other measure of receptivity than their prior religious environment could supply. To be as the early Christians was the standard of faith they could not but adopt and seek to apply. True, the concept “Bahá’í” was not limited to adherents of Christian descent. True, the new term applied equally to believers of Muḥammad or Buddha as to Christians and Jews. The values associated with the Faith, nevertheless, were inherently restricted to those created for mankind in the Sermon on the Mount. The difference between the mission of Christ and Bahá’u’lláh they acknowledged, but instinctively held it to be limited only by the fact that now the sacred doctrine could at last be promulgated throughout the earth and not confined to one area like the ancient empire of Rome.
A world in dire torment, even though it
had prepared a great host to accept the
“return of Christ” and replace with the high
challenge of the Sermon on the Mount a
social culture obviously unfit to deal with
the problems of a society fatally divided
and in decline, could not but have overrun
and even repudiated the claim of a Faith
whose application to social problems was as
simple and naive as the outlook of the
Bahá’í community in the West long
considered it to be. That Faith, however,
serene and potent in its full reality and
implication, has possessed the force
necessary to re—educate the Bahá’ís themselves,
and moreover, to express its fundamental
character and aim so clearly and vigorously
that the Bahá’í Teachings today constitute
the essence of statesmanship and
sociology,[Page 14]
demonstrating
their new and supreme mission by creating
a World Order even within
the ruins of a civilization impotent to
survive.
It has been in the successive general communications issued by its Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, since early in 1929, that the whole significance and integrity of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation has been made apparent. The unique virtue of these letters—in reality a series of statements interpreting the Teachings in the light of the decadent world and the condition of the world in the light of the Teachings—has been their power to convey, not for the instruction or solace of individual seekers, but for the guidance of an international community, that spiritual truth given this age in measure greater than could be poured forth by the Manifestation at any prior epoch. The Message of Bahá’u’lláh can now be apprehended in its fulness and majesty and by its own supernal light, not dimmed by reflection from minds historically limited, no matter how sincere and devoted the hearts they turned to Him.
The faith of Bahá’ís, thanks to this interpretation and guidance, has been assimilated into an understanding no longer subject to challenge of world problem and international condition unresponsive to that lesser spiritual truth intended for the regeneration of the individual alone.
As an inner experience, faith is ever complete and perfect within itself, for the individual who rises to the station of faith becomes filled with a holy elixir so penetrating that no capacity for doubt remains. The experience seems not merely immune from critical attack but of a nature higher than criticism can ever understand. Nothing within the individual’s destiny, when his faith is real, ever serves to challenge its perfect integrity or demonstrate its incapacity to meet any and every condition the person can possibly undergo. His sole regret is that others are not similarly inspired and equally blessed.
The movements of society as a whole, however, supply a historical perspective larger than the individual’s range of personal experience. The religion entirely perfect to the devotee can, and has throughout recorded time, failed to transmute psychological truth into a sociological equivalent, or personal values into the principles of a spiritual community. From ecstasy of redemption to grandeur of martyrdom, the individual treads his own path acclaiming the omnipotence of God. But ten thousand inspired martyrs do not together constitute the elements of a public policy capable of removing the causes of poverty or extirpating the seeds of disastrous war. Personal ecstasy, no matter how pure and enduring a light in the soul, is not equivalent to the function of statesmanship in replacing with order the fundamental disorder of a divided world.
Humanity throughout the ages has been confused by the continuous division yawning between personal spirituality and social necessity, with the result that all expectation of the fulfilment of truth has been turned to another “higher” world or has depicted an earthly consummation as naive as the imagination of a child. The interval of time ever separating the flower of faith from its perfect fruit has darkened the vision of innumerable generations of loyal believers, making their convictions irrational and socially ineffective, and opening the door to constant compromise with the pressures exerted by the movements of society as a whole. The distance between spiritual reality and the organic structure of civilization has been a wasteland within which churches and states alike have perished in every previous age. Every theology and every sociology laboriously devised to carry mankind safely from the realm of personal motive to the realm of an organically united and harmonious civilization has served only to re-emphasize the vital fact that the task lies beyond human capacity to perform.
The larger meaning of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation conveyed by Shoghi Effendi is that God has destined this age to take the step from subjective experience to world order. The new dimension of truth revealed by Bahá’u’lláh lies in the divine civilization His Word created upon earth. The Bahá’í community no longer recognizes the wasteland; the reality it has accepted includes an organic social structure as well as a Sermon on the Mount. The faith of the believer combines knowledge of a world community
Bahá’u’lláh’s Shawl and Comb.
Bahá’u’lláh’s Prayer-beads and Ring (right), Báb’s Prayer-beads and Ring (left), Bahá’u’lláh’s Pen-case and Tea-glass.
[Page 16]
with knowledge of the holy
path he, as an individual, must tread if
he would be loyal to his Lord.
The effect of the Guardian’s successive statements has been to supply the Bahá’í community with an impregnable foundation at the very time that the world is most grievously shaken and its truths and institutions made a source of bitter disillusion to discerning men. As Shoghi Effendi’s insight has renewed and developed the consciousness of the believers, it has become apparent to them that the world crisis, far from challenging their loyalty, confirms it with proofs and evidence so tangible that not for long will the confirmation stand hidden from the intelligence and groping spirit of a bewildered race. For as the nations recoil under blows of a destiny they were not formed to encounter or even estimate, the Bahá’í community grows ever more conscious of the Power by which its human weakness is sustained, and more aware that its collective experience has mysteriously been to trace the outline and pattern of the emerging world.
Nothing could so effectively disclose the forces working throughout the Bahá’í world during the past two years as the following excerpts from the Guardian’s letters, chosen because they appear to concentrate upon the aspect of the Revelation which extends religion into that new dimension so vitally needed by mankind today.
“It would . . . be helpful and instructive to bear in mind certain basic principles with reference to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which, together with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, constitutes the chief depositary wherein are enshrined those priceless elements of that Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is the primary mission of the Bahá’í Faith. . . .
“To dissociate the administrative principles of the Cause from the purely spiritual and humanitarian teachings would be tantamount to a mutilation of the body of the Cause, a separation that can only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith itself. . . . That the Spiritual Assemblies of today will be replaced in time by the Houses of Justice, and are to all intents and purposes identical and not separate bodies, is abundantly confirmed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself. . . . Not only will the present-day Spiritual Assemblies be styled differently in future, but will be enabled also to add to their present functions those powers, duties, and prerogatives necessitated by the recognition of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, not merely as one of the recognized religious systems of the world, but as the State Religion of an independent and Sovereign Power. And as the Bahá’í Faith permeates the masses of the peoples of East and West, and its truth is embraced by the majority of the peoples of a number of the Sovereign States of the world, will the Universal House of Justice attain the plenitude of its power, and exercise, as the supreme organ of the Bahá’í Commonwealth, all the rights, the duties, and responsibilities incumbent upon the world’s future superstate. . . .
“Who, I may ask, when viewing the international character of the Cause, its far-flung ramifications, the increasing complexity of its affairs, the diversity of its adherents, and the state of confusion that assails on every side the infant Faith of God, can for a moment question the necessity of some sort of administrative machinery that will insure, amid the storm and stress of a struggling civilization, the unity of the Faith, the preservation of its identity, and the protection of its interests?”—February 27, 1929.
“I cannot refrain from appealing to them who stand identified with the Faith to disregard the prevailing notions and the fleeting fashions of the day, and to realize as never before that the exploded theories and the tottering institutions of present-day civilization must needs appear in sharp contrast with those God-given institutions which are destined to arise upon their ruin. . . .
“For Bahá’u’lláh . . . has not only imbued
mankind with a new and regenerating
Spirit. He has not merely enunciated
certain universal principles, or propounded a
particular philosophy, however potent,
sound and universal these may be. In
addition to these He, as well as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
after Him, have, unlike the Dispensations
of the past, clearly and specifically
laid[Page 17]
down a set of Laws,
established definite institutions, and
provided for the essentials of
a Divine Economy. These are destined to
be a pattern for future society, a supreme
instrument for the establishment of the
Most Great Peace, and the one agency for
the unification of the world, and the
proclamation of the reign of righteousness and
justice upon the earth. . . .
“Unlike the Dispensation of Christ, unlike the Dispensation of Muḥammad, unlike all the Dispensations of the past, the apostles of Bahá’u’lláh in every land, wherever they labor and toil, have before them in clear, in unequivocal and emphatic language, all the laws, the regulations, the principles, the institutions, the guidance, they require for the prosecution of their task. . . . Therein lies the distinguishing feature of the Bahá’í Revelation. Therein lies the strength of the unity of the Faith, of the validity of a Revelation that claims not to destroy or belittle previous Revelations, but to connect, unify, and fulfil them. . . .
“Feeble though our Faith may now appear in the eyes of men, who either denounce it as an offshoot of Islám, or contemptuously ignore it as one more of those obscure sects that abound in the West, this priceless gem of Divine Revelation, now still in its embryonic state, shall evolve within the shell of His law, and shall forge ahead, undivided and unimpaired, till it embraces the whole of mankind. Only those who have already recognized the supreme station of Bahá’u’lláh, only those whose hearts have been touched by His love, and have become familiar with the potency of His spirit, can adequately appreciate the value of this Divine Economy—His inestimable gift to mankind.”—March 21, 1930.
“Ten years of unceasing turmoil, so laden with anguish, so fraught with incalculable consequences to the future of civilization, have brought the world to the verge of a calamity too awful to contemplate. . . . Such has been the cumulative effect of these successive crises, following one another with such bewildering rapidity, that the very foundations of society are trembling. The world, to whichever continent we turn our gaze, to however remote a region our survey may extend, is everywhere assailed by forces it can neither explain nor control. . . .
“Might we not already discern, as we scan the political horizon, the alignment of those forces that are dividing afresh the continent of Europe into camps of potential combatants, determined upon a contest that may mark, unlike the last war, the end of an epoch, a vast epoch, in the history of human evolution? . . . Might not the bankruptcy of this present, this highly-vaunted materialistic civilization, in itself clear away the choking weeds that now hinder the unfoldment and future efflorescence of God’s struggling Faith?
“Humanity, whether viewed in the light of man’s individual conduct or in the existing relationships between organized communities and nations, has, alas, strayed too far and suffered too great a decline to be redeemed through the unaided efforts of the best among its recognized rulers and statesmen—however disinterested their motives, however concerted their action, however unsparing in their zeal and devotion to its cause. No scheme which the calculations of the highest statesmanship may yet devise; no doctrine which the most distinguished exponents of economic theory may hope to advance; no principle which the most ardent of moralists may strive to inculcate, can provide, in the last resort, adequate foundations upon which the future of a distracted world can be built. . . .
"It is towards this goal—the goal of a new World Order, Divine in origin, all-embracing in scope, equitable in principle, challenging in its features—that a harassed humanity must strive. . . .
“How pathetic indeed are the efforts of
those leaders of human institutions who, in
utter disregard of the spirit of the age, are
striving to adjust national processes, suited
to the ancient days of self-contained nations,
to an age which must either achieve
the unity of the world, as adumbrated by
Bahá’u’lláh, or perish. At so critical an
hour in the history of civilization it
behooves the leaders of all the nations of the
world, great and small, whether in the East
or in the West, whether victors or
vanquished, to give heed to the clarion
call of[Page 18]
Bahá’u’lláh and,
thoroughly imbued with a
sense of world solidarity, the sine qua non
of loyalty to His Cause, arise manfully to
carry out in its entirety the one remedial
scheme He, the Divine Physician, has
prescribed for an ailing humanity. Let them
discard, once for all, every preconceived
idea, every national prejudice, and give heed
to the sublime counsel of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the
authorized Expounder of His teachings.
'You can best serve your country,’ was
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s rejoinder1 to
a high official
in the service of the federal government of
the United States of America, who had
questioned Him as to the best manner in
which he could promote the interests of his
government and people, 'if you strive, in your capacity as a citizen of the world, to assist in the eventual application of the principle of federalism underlying the government of your own country to the relationships now existing between the peoples and nations of the world.’ . . .
“Some form of a world Super-State must needs be evolved, in whose favor all the nations of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to make war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within their respective dominions. Such a state will have to include within its orbit an International Executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth; a World Parliament whose members shall be elected by the people in their respective countries and whose election shall be confirmed by their respective governments; and a Supreme Tribunal whose judgment will have a binding effect even in such cases where the parties concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case to its consideration. A world community in which all economic barriers will have been permanently demolished and the interdependence of Capital and Labor definitely recognized; in which the clamor of religious fanaticism and strife will have been forever stilled; in which the flame of racial animosity will have been finally extinguished; in which a single code of international law—the product
————————
1In the year 1912.
of the considered judgment of the world’s federated representatives—shall have as its sanction the instant and coercive intervention of the combined forces of the federated units; and finally a world community in which the fury of a capricious and militant nationalism will have been transmuted into an abiding consciousness of world citizenship—such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline, the Order anticipated by Bahá’u’lláh, an Order that shall come to be regarded as the fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age. . . .
“Let there be no misgivings as to the animating purpose of the world-wide Law of Bahá’u’lláh. Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its basis, to remould its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of an ever—changing world. It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men’s hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human race. . . .
“The call of Bahá’u’lláh is primarily
directed against all forms of provincialism,
all insularities and prejudices. . . . For
legal standards, political and economic
theories are solely designed to safeguard the
interests of humanity as a whole, and not
humanity to be crucified for the preservation
of the integrity of any particular law
or doctrine. . . . The principle of the
Oneness of Mankind—the pivot round which
all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve—is
no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism
or an expression of vague and pious hope.
. . . Its implications are deeper, its claims
greater than any which the Prophets of old
were allowed to advance. Its message is
applicable not only to the individual, but
concerns itself primarily with the nature of
[Page 19]
those essential relationships
that must bind all the states and nations
as members of one human family. . . .
“It represents the consummation of human evolution. . . .
“That the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate such a new phase of human thought is, alas, becoming increasingly apparent. . . . Nothing but a fiery ordeal, out of which humanity will emerge, chastened and prepared, can succeed in implanting that sense of responsibility which the leaders of a new-born age must arise to shoulder. . . . Has not ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself asserted in unequivocal language that 'another war, fiercer than the last, will assuredly break out’?”—November 28, 1931.
“That a Faith which, ten years ago, was severely shaken by the sudden removal of an incomparable Master1 should have, in the face of tremendous obstacles, maintained its unity, resisted the malignant onslaught of its ill-wishers, silenced its calumniators, broadened the basis of its far-flung administration, and raised upon it institutions symbolizing its ideals of worship and service, should be deemed sufficient evidence of the invincible power with which the Almighty has chosen to invest it from the moment of its inception.
“That the Cause associated with the name of Bahá’u’lláh feeds itself upon those hidden springs of celestial strength which no force of human personality, whatever its glamor, can replace; that its reliance is solely upon that mystic Source with which no worldly advantage, be it wealth, fame or learning, can compare; that it propagates itself by ways mysteriously and utterly at variance with the standards accepted by the generality of mankind, will . . . become increasingly manifest as it forges ahead towards fresh conquests in its struggle for the spiritual regeneration of mankind. . . .
“Few . . . are even dimly aware of the preponderating role which the North American continent is destined to play in the future orientation of their world—embracing Cause. . . . ‘The continent of America,’ wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in February, 1917,
————————
1The ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, November 28, 1921.
is, in the eyes of the one true God, the land wherein the splendors of His light shall be unveiled, where the righteous will abide, and the free assemble.’ . . .
“The Revelation, of which Bahá’u’lláh is the source and center, abrogates none of the religions which have preceded it, nor does it attempt, in the slightest degree, to distort their features or to belittle their value. It disclaims any intention of dwarfing any of the Prophets of the past, or of whittling down the eternal verity of Their teachings. It can, in no wise, conflict with the spirit that animates Their claims, nor does it seek to undermine the basis of any man’s allegiance to Their cause. Its declared, its primary purpose, is to enable every adherent of these Faiths to obtain a fuller understanding of the religion with which he stands identified, and to acquire a clearer apprehension of its purpose. It is neither eclectic in the presentation of its truths, nor arrogant in the affirmation of its claims. Its teachings revolve around the fundamental principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is progressive, not final. Unequivocally and without the least reservation it proclaims all established religions to be divine in origin, identical in their aims, complementary in their functions, continuous in their purpose, indispensable in their value to mankind. . . .
“Those who have recognized the Light of God in this age claim no finality for the Revelation with which they stand identified, nor arrogate to the Faith they have embraced powers and attributes intrinsically superior to, or essentially different from, those which have characterized any of the religious systems that preceded it. . . .
“Who, contemplating the helplessness, the
fears and miseries of humanity in this day,
can any longer question the necessity for
a fresh revelation of the quickening power
of God’s redemptive love and guidance?
Who . . . can be so blind as to doubt that
the hour has at last struck for the advent
of a new Revelation, for a re-statement of
the Divine Purpose, and for the consequent
revival of those spiritual forces that have,
at fixed intervals, rehabilitated the fortunes
of human society? Does not the very
[Page 20]
operation of the
world-unifying forces that
are at work in this age necessitate that He
Who is the Bearer of the Message of God
in this day should not only reaffirm that
self-same exalted standard of individual
conduct inculcated by the Prophets gone before
Him, but embody in His appeal, to all
governments and peoples, the essentials of
that social code, that Divine Economy,
which must guide humanity’s concerted
efforts in establishing that all—embracing
federation which is to signalize the
advent of the Kingdom of God on this
earth? . . .
“I feel it incumbent to stress . . . the importance of an instruction which . . . should be increasingly emphasized, irrespective of its application to the East or to the West. . . . This principle is no other than that which involves the non—participation by the adherents of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, whether in their individual capacities or collectively as local or national (Spiritual) Assemblies, in any form of activity that might be interpreted, either directly or indirectly, as an interference in the political affairs of any particular government. . . . Such an attitude . . . indicates the desire cherished by every true and loyal follower of Bahá’u’lláh to serve, in an unselfish, unostentatious and patriotic fashion, the highest interests of the country to which he belongs, and in a way that would entail no departure from the high standards of integrity and truthfulness associated with the teachings of his Faith.” —March 21, 1932.
”‘May this American democracy,’ He Himself1 while in America, was heard to remark, ‘be the first nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it be the first nation to proclaim the unity of mankind. . . . May America become the distributing center of spiritual enlightenment and all the world receive this heavenly blessing.’—April 21, 1933.
“This Administrative Order . . . will, as its component parts, its organic institutions, begin to function with efficiency and vigor, assert its claim and demonstrate its capacity to be regarded not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New
————————
1‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited North America in 1912.
World Order destined to embrace in the fulness of time the whole of mankind. . . .
“Alone of all the Revelations gone before it this Faith has . . . succeeded in raising a structure which the bewildered followers of bankrupt and broken creeds might well approach and critically examine, and seek, ere it is too late, the invulnerable security of its world-embracing shelter. . . .
“To what else if not to the power and majesty which this Administrative Order— the rudiments of the future all-enfolding Bahá’í Commonwealth—is destined to manifest, can these utterances of Bahá’u’lláh allude: ‘The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System—the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.’ . . .
“The Bahá’í Commonwealth of the future, of which this vast Administrative Order is the sole framework, is, both in theory and practice, not only unique in the entire history of political institutions, but can find no parallel in the annals of any of the world’s recognized religious systems. No form of democratic government; no system of autocracy or of dictatorship, whether monarchical or republican; no intermediary scheme of a purely aristocratic order; not even any of the recognized types of theocracy, whether it be the Hebrew Commonwealth, or the various Christian ecclesiastical organizations, or the Imamate or the Caliphate in Islám—none of these can be identified or said to conform with the Administrative Order which the master-hand of its perfect Architect has fashioned. . . .
“Let no one, while this System is still in
its infancy, belittle its significance or
misrepresent its purpose. The bedrock on
which this Administrative Order is founded
is God’s immutable Purpose for mankind in
this day. The Source from which it derives
its inspiration is no one less than
Bahá’u’lláh Himself. . . . The central, the
underlying aim which animates it is the
establishment of the New World Order as
adumbrated by Bahá’u’lláh. The methods
it employs, the standard it inculcates,
[Page 21]
incline it to neither
East nor West, neither
Jew nor Gentile, neither rich nor poor,
neither white nor colored. Its watchword
is the unification of the human race; its
standard the ‘Most Great Peace.’ ” . . .—February 8, 1934.
“The contrast between the accumulating evidences of steady consolidation that accompany the rise of the Administrative Order of the Faith of God, and the forces of disintegration which batter at the fabric of a travailing society, is as clear as it is arresting. Both within and outside the Bahá’í world the signs and tokens which, in a mysterious manner, are heralding the birth of that World Order, the establishment of which must signalize the Golden Age of the Cause of God, are growing and multiplying day by day. . . .
“'Soon,’ Bahá’u’lláh’s own words proclaim it, ’will the present-day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.’. . .
“The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh . . . should . . . be regarded as signalizing through its advent the coming of age of the entire human race. It should be viewed not merely as yet another spiritual revival in the ever—changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man’s collective life on this planet. The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture . . . should . . . be regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to progress and develop. . . .
“The successive Founders of all past Religions Who . . . have shed, with ever-increasing intensity, the splendor of one common Revelation at the various stages which have marked the advance of mankind towards maturity may thus . . . be regarded as preliminary Manifestations, anticipating and paving the way for the advent of that Day of Days when the whole earth will have fructified and the tree of humanity will have yielded its destined fruit.
“Beset on every side by the cumulative evidences of disintegration, of turmoil and of bankruptcy, serious-minded men and women, in almost every walk of life, are beginning to doubt whether society, as it is now organized, can, through its unaided efforts, extricate itself from the slough into which it is steadily sinking. Every system, short of the unification of the human race, has been tried, repeatedly tried, and been found wanting. . . . Yet crisis has succeeded crisis, and the rapidity with which a perilously unstable world is declining has been correspondingly accelerated. . . .
“Who else can be blissful if not the community of the Most Great Name,1 whose world-embracing, continually consolidating activities constitute the one integrating process in a world whose institutions, secular as well as religious, are for the most part dissolving? . . . Of all the kindreds of the earth they alone can recognize, amidst the welter of a tempestuous age, the Hand of the Divine Redeemer that traces its course and controls its destinies. They alone are aware of the silent growth of that orderly world polity whose fabric they themselves are weaving. . . .
“Ceasing to designate itself a movement, a fellowship and the like—designations that did grave injustice to its ever-unfolding system—dissociating itself from such appellations as Bábí sect, Asiatic cult, and offshoot of Shí‘ih Islám, with which the ignorant and the malicious were wont to describe it, refusing to be labeled as a mere philosophy of life, or as an eclectic code of ethical conduct, or even as a new religion, the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh is now visibly succeeding in demonstrating its claim and title to be regarded as a World Religion, destined to attain . . . the status of a world-embracing Commonwealth, which would be at once the instrument and the guardian of the Most Great Peace announced by its Author. . . .
“The whole of mankind is groaning, is dying to be led to unity, and to terminate its age-long martyrdom. And yet it
————————
1Bahá’u’lláh.
[Page 22]
stubbornly refuses to
embrace the light and
acknowledge the sovereign authority of the
one Power that can extricate it from its
entanglements, and avert the woeful
calamity that threatens to engulf it. . . .
“Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city—state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.
" 'A new life,’ Bahá’u’lláh proclaims, ‘is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause, or perceived its motive.’ 'O ye children of men,’ He thus addresses His generation, ‘the fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race. . . . This is the straight path, the fixed and immovable foundation.’ ”—March 11, 1936.
FORMATION OF TWO NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES
The pillars of the Bahá’í world order are the National Spiritual Assemblies, elected by delegates representing the local Bahá’í communities within the designated area of jurisdiction. A National Spiritual Assembly cannot be constituted until the Faith has become sufficiently widespread and firmly rooted to provide support for the national administrative body, whose effectiveness depends upon the existence of experienced local Spiritual Assemblies.
The present period has been notable in the formation of two more National Assemblies, one by the Bahá’ís of Írán, the other by the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand. It would be difficult to find evidence more convincingly testifying to the universality of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh than this development made possible by believers so separated not merely by distance but by race, culture and historical experience. Írán, with its ancient memories of a power and glory antedating the civilization of Europe, and its complex spirit impregnated with the influence of successive religions, stands in striking contrast to Australia and New Zealand, lands still marked by the stage of the pioneer and in their social progress akin to the North America existing in the middle of the nineteenth century. By faith, however, and the supreme power of a Teaching shaped for humanity and not one race or country alone, the Bahá’ís of these two diverse regions have entered upon a path of oneness which they tread in a unity of purpose and an intimacy of soul greater than that of members of the same family whose physical bond has no true spiritual substance and reinforcement.
The first Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of Írán was held at Ṭihrán during eight days commencing April 26, 1934. As in North America, ninety-five delegates had been assigned proportionately to the national community, and of these eighty-one were present at the first session, eighty-four at the later sessions. This event of vital importance is told in detail in the Report prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly of Írán and published as a supplement to this Survey.
From the point of view of the Bahá’í
world community, it is significant to note
that both the National Assembly of Írán
and that of Australia and New Zealand
were formed and are functioning in strict
conformity with the administrative
principles controlling the national Bahá’í
institutions previously established in other
lands. Their constitutional character and
their organic processes are identical with
those of America, Europe and other Bahá’í
communities throughout the East, with the
result that a believer can take residence in
any established national Bahá’í community
and find his spiritual citizenship completely
unchanged. Such differences as he would
encounter in the realm of detail, even as the
obvious distinctions of language and cultural
background, but fulfil the true
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spiritual unity by stressing
that diversity on which true unity must be based.
On account of the vast Bahá’í population of Írán, the ninety-five delegates were elected proportionately by the believers through twenty administrative divisions rather than through their separate local Bahá’í communities. It would be impossible, clearly, to assign ninety-five delegates to local communities numbering more than five hundred. The principle underlying national Bahá’í elections, nevertheless, was fully observed. A similar method of administrative districts including numbers of local Bahá’í communities will have to be developed for America and other nations when the number of their Spiritual Assemblies exceeds the number of the delegates the believers collectively are to elect.
The Bahá’í affairs of Írán had previously been directed and coordinated nationally by the former “Central Assembly” at Ṭihrán. The first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Írán were: Valíyu’lláh Khán Varqá, Shu‘a’u’lláh Khán ‘Alá’i, Dr. Yúnis Khán Afrúkhtih, Jináb-i-Fáḍil-i-Mázinḍaráni, Amín—Amín, Aḥmad Khán Yazdaní, ‘Alí-Akbar Khán Furútan, ‘Ináyatu’lláh Khán Aḥmadpúr, and Maḥmud Khán Badi’í.
The first Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand was held at Sydney, May 15, 16, 17 and 18, 1934. Details of this meeting, so significant in the unfoldment of the Bahá’í world order, are made available in reports issued by the National Spiritual Assembly formed by that Convention.
"A little more than a decade after the landing in Sydney of those two indefatigable Bahá’í pioneers, Mr. and Mrs. Hyde Dunn, has seen the outward and visible consummation of their labors in the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Dominion of New Zealand. This was the outstanding achievement of the Cause in these southern lands in 1934, and itself bears witness to the sincerity, enthusiasm and faith of the believers.
"Bahá’ís from Adelaide, Melbourne, New Zealand and other places met in Sydney where the first Bahá’í Convention was held. It was a wonderful experience in cooperative effort and a powerful means of spiritual attraction. A reporter from the Sydney ‘Sun’ attended the opening session and an outline of the Bahá’í Principles appeared in the next issue of that newspaper.
“This first Convention was of historic importance to the Bahá’í Cause in that it was for the purpose of forming a National Spiritual Assembly for this southern continent, and so becoming another link in the chain for the establishment of the future International House of Justice.
“The New Zealand delegates were the first to arrive, and a special meeting of welcome was arranged at which a happy time was spent in contacting the Sydney friends. Later in the week the Adelaide delegates, and friends from both Melbourne and Adelaide, arrived, and these received a similar warm-hearted welcome, so that before the Convention opened a feeling of true Bahá’í friendliness and fellowship was established, and all were filled with an anticipatory joy in being privileged to take part in such a momentous event.
"The elected delegates were:— "New Zealand—Mrs. Emily M. Axford, Miss Margaret B. Stevenson, Miss Ethel A. Blundell.
“Adelaide—Mrs. Silver Jackman, Miss Hilda Brooks, Mr. Robert Brown.
“Sydney—Mrs. Routh, Mr. Hyde Dunn, Mr. O. Whittaker.”
Significant as the formation of a new
National Spiritual Assembly is as evidence
of an active, vigorous and widespread
Bahá’í community in its land, its full
importance lies in the fact that the institution
of the National Assembly itself is but a step
in the development of the Bahá’í world
order. A National Spiritual Assembly
stands not as an independent body, nor a
final authority in the realm of collective
action, but as the pillar upon which will
rest in future the dome of the Bahá’í social
structure—the International House of
Justice. A great part of the necessary
foundation for that crowning Bahá’í
achievement has already been constructed.
It remains only for the new National
Spiritual Assemblies to begin functioning with
effective power, and for the Bahá’í
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communities in Caucasus
and Turkistán to be
enabled to initiate their own Annual
Convention and form National Spiritual
Assemblies. The requisite capacity will then
have been acquired, and the proper conditions
realized, for the decisive final step
upon which the world’s peace and even its
very existence depends.
INCORPORATION OF EXISTING NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES
During the same period, also, the National Spiritual Assemblies of Egypt, and of India and Burma, found it possible to effect legal incorporation and secure official state recognition for their national Bahá’í constitution. Moreover, the National Assemblies of Germany and ‘Iráq took steps to adopt constitutions and by—laws identical with the Declaration of Trust under which the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada has operated for some ten years. The text of these constitutions, some of which are accompanied by the certificate issued to them by the civil authorities, is reproduced in Part Two of the present work.
Not less interesting is the fact that the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India and Burma has in addition formed a Palestine Branch, duly incorporated and registered, similar to that formed some years ago by the American Assembly, thus adding one more Bahá’í national community empowered to hold title to land at the world center of the Faith.
The amount of land transferred to the Palestine Branch of the American Assembly during this period, adjacent to the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel, has been very considerable. Part was acquired by purchase from funds contributed directly for that purpose by believers, the balance consisting of individual holdings donated by their Bahá’í owners. In this connection it is of interest to recall the fact that American Bahá’ís were advised by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá many years before Haifa possessed any importance and before Palestine even had been awakened from its slumber of ages to purchase lots on Mount Carmel! The Palestine Branch of the American Assembly, at the date of this writing, owns in both ‘Akká and Haifa, approximately sixty thousand square pics—one thousand, six hundred square pics being equivalent to nine hundred square meters. The holdings thus represent some thirty—three thousand, seven hundred and fifty square meters.
Soon after its incorporation in the Mixed Court of Egypt, the National Spiritual Assembly of that land acquired, through donation from an Egyptian Bahá’í, one faddan of land, equal to four thousand square meters.
The incorporation of the National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Egypt must be regarded as far more than a legal achievement. The first Assembly to secure civil recognition and the status of an independent religion in Islám, the National Spiritual Assembly has succeeded in this effort only after a long and ardent struggle. Within a decade, the Bahá’ís of Egypt have progressed from a status officially regarded as one of heresy in the eyes of Muḥammadanism to that of spiritual independence. The Westerner can not appreciate, nor scarcely imagine, the degree of progress this evolution represents. It is equivalent to the transition from the tenth to the nineteenth century in the West.
BAHÁ’Í PROPERTY IN AMERICA
From 1909, the date when American Bahá’ís made their first purchase of land as the site of the House of Worship on Lake Michigan, near Chicago, to 1936, the amount of Bahá’í property greatly increased.
Five separate properties are now legally
held for the benefit of the National Spiritual
Assembly of American Bahá’ís: the
land and structure of the House of Worship,
with caretaker’s cottage and the studio
constructed by the Temple architect, the
late Louis J. Bourgeois; Green Acre, Eliot,
Maine, the site of the Conferences founded
by the late Sarah J. Farmer in 1894,
consisting of an Inn, five cottages, Fellowship
House and Arts and Crafts Studio, with
several parcels of land—including the
important holding on Mount Salvat—totaling
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several hundred acres; the
house at Malden, Massachusetts, blessed by
the time spent in
it by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His American
journey in 1912; the land and buildings
developed by Roy C. Wilhelm at West Englewood,
New Jersey, chosen by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
as the place for the Unity Feast He gave
the Bahá’ís of the New York metropolitan
district in June, 1912, and now used as the
Office of the National Assembly and the
meeting place of the local Bahá’í community;
and the property at Geyserville,
California, which Mr. and Mrs. John Bosch
for about seven years placed at the disposal
of the Summer School maintained by the
Bahá’ís of the Pacific Coast.
Green Acre was transferred to Bahá’í trustees by the Green Acre Fellowship which held title after Sarah J. Farmer’s death. The Malden house was left to Shoghi Effendi in the Will and Testament of the late Maria P. Wilson, and by Shoghi Effendi transferred to Bahá’í trustees. Both the Wilhelm and Bosch properties were received as donations by their respective owners.
While values may not be readily established for all these holdings, the entire property held for the Bahá’í Faith in America can be estimated as amounting in worth to at least one million, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. By far the greater portion of this value has been created by the Bahá’ís during the decade beginning 1926.
DEVELOPMENTS IN ÍRÁN
The formation of a National Spiritual Assembly by the believers of Írán made possible the undertaking of larger Bahá’í enterprises but at the same time this step seemed challenged by a new and violent anti-Bahá’í attitude on the part of certain government departments.
Of intense interest to Bahá’ís of other nations has been the acquisition, by purchase, of a portion of the village of Chihríq, where the Báb was incarcerated. This sacred and revered scene of one of the momentous episodes in the history of the Faith has thus come under the care and protection of the Cause.
Various other sacred and historic sites associated with the Founders of the Faith in Írán, and hallowed by the heroism of Their early followers, are likewise being gradually acquired, in accordance with a definitely plan adopted under the advice of the Guardian and assisted by his contribution in the amount of two thousand túmáns a year.
At the same time, progress has been made in the construction of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, or Bahá’í headquarters, in the capital city, Ṭihrán.
A vast area, moreover, has been acquired on the slopes of Mount Alburz, northeast of Ṭihrán, for the eventual construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (House of Worship) by the Bahá’ís of Írán. The land already acquired measures not less than one million, two hundred and fifty-seven thousand square meters, but is being extended by further purchases in order to provide sufficient space for the erection of the accessory buildings, or dependencies, which with the House of Worship constitute the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár established by Bahá’u’lláh.
The Report of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Írán which follows this International review testifies to the further progress of the Faith in that land, and the activities maintained under the direction of national Committees. Brief reference may be made here to the formation of a National Bahá’í Archives, the dispatching of accredited teachers to ‘Iráq as well as to many parts of Írán, the adoption of Bahá’í marriage certificates and also a Bahá’í certificate of divorce, the dissemination of Bahá’í news to local centers, and the necessity of meeting the dire and widespread difficulties resulting from repressive measures adopted by the civil authorities.
The weakening of the power of the Muslim
clergy in Írán has been an indication
of nationalism rather than a broadening and
deepening of the basis of social ethics and
of spiritual religion. A necessary step
toward the eventual triumph of a World
Faith, the decline of Islám as revealed
religion and ecclesiastical authority has at
first resulted in a social environment hostile
[Page 26]
to the claims of divine truth.
The condition, giving as it does an undue
influence to secular forces, exposes
the followers of a
living Faith to the increase of pressure and
tension which invariably accompanies the
discrediting of traditional religion. In his
letter on “The Unfoldment of World Civilization”
dated March 11, 1936, Shoghi
Effendi thus describes that decline:
“The collapse of the Shí‘ih hierarchy, in a land which had for centuries been one of the impregnable strongholds of Muslim fanaticism, was the inevitable consequence of that wave of secularization which, at a later time, was to invade some of the most powerful and conservative institutions in both the European and American continents. Though not the direct outcome of the last war, this sudden trembling which had seized this hitherto immovable pillar of Islámic orthodoxy accentuated the problems and deepened the restlessness with which a war-weary world was being afflicted. Shí‘ih Islám had lost once for all, in Bahá’u’lláh’s native land and as the direct consequence of its implacable hostility to His Faith, its combative power, had forfeited its rights and privileges, had been degraded and demoralized, and was being condemned to hopeless obscurity and ultimate extinction.”
With startling suddenness, and wholly unexpectedly to the Bahá’ís of the West, the famous Tarbíyat Schools in Ṭihrán were compelled to close their doors and abandon their historic mission of initiating true education in Írán. School after school, throughout the country, conducted by Bahá’ís in cities, towns and villages, cherished by them and of incalculable benefit to thousands of innocent children and youth, incurred the same penalty by order of the Department of Education. At the same time those disabilities described in previous volumes of The Bahá’í World were maintained and in some ways extended and made more rigorous.
The account given by the National Spiritual Assembly of Írán, in its Report already mentioned, may be amplified by the following excerpts from other communications.
“As the Board of Education had formerly
warned the Tarbíyat Schools officially that
in case these schools are closed on unofficial
holidays, orders will be issued for the closing
up of same, the National Spiritual Assembly
here with a view to preventing the
occurrence of such an event and pointing
out to the authorities concerned the
importance which such an action would involve,
deputed one of its members, Dr. Youness
Khán Afroukhteh to call on H. E. Mírzá
‘Alí Aghar Khán Hekmat, the acting
Minister of Education with instructions
that he (Dr. Youness Khán) should explain
fully the matter to the acting Minister.
Dr. Youness Khán, in the course of the
interview which he had with this official,
made it clear to him that as the Tarbíyat
Schools formed part of private institutions
of the Bahá’í community and as the
teachers and pupils are chiefly Bahá’í and
that since these teachers and pupils, as one
of their religious duties, abstain from
working on nine days during the year, the
schools are automatically closed, and that
as this is a matter relating to the religious
belief of the Bahá’ís, it is impossible for the
Assembly to interfere with sacred duties of
the Bahá’í individuals by forcing them to
work in the Bahá’í holidays. Dr. Youness
Khán also made it clear in the course of his
conversations, that in the same way that
the Board of Education allows the Jewish,
Zoroastrian and Christian communities in
this country to celebrate their religious
holidays, the Bahá’ís should equally be
permitted to benefit by their religious
legitimate right. The acting Minister had
considered such a matter to be against the
regulations of his Department and had
stated that the Bahá’ís should not, at any
rate, close their schools on these days and
suggested that the schools should be left
open more or less on these days, failing
which he would have no alternative but to
take action for the closing of the schools
by virtue of a notification which would be
issued from the Board of Education. The
reason given by His Excellency Hekmat
was that the Íránian Government has not
recognized the Bahá’í religion as it has other
minority religions. Dr. Youness Khán again
called on the acting Minister for the third
time and took with him Mírzá ‘Alí Akbar
Khán Foroutan, the Principal of the boys’
school, but all these visits proved of no avail
[Page 27]
since, while Dr. Youness
Khán was insisting
in his views and pointing out the importance
for the Bahá’ís to close their schools
on these days and also explaining the fact
that the school authorities, in celebrating
their religious holidays, would in no way
disregard the ruling and regulations of the
Board of Education, the acting Minister was
reiterating his statement that the Bahá’ís
should not celebrate their religious holidays.
Dr. Youness Khán also requested that the
Board of Education give a more careful and
sympathetic consideration to the matter
before taking an action in respect to two
schools of good reputation with an
enrollment of 1500 pupils. Dr. Youness
Khán asked that the case be submitted to His
Majesty for a decision. But the acting
Minister gave an unfavorable reply and
reiterated his former statements adding that
he would have no alternative but to close
the schools.
“On Thursday, Azer 15th, 1313 (December 6, 1934) the schools were closed as usual in commemoration of the martyrdom of the Báb. On Saturday afternoon, Azer 17th, 1313 (December 8) the Chief of the Police Station had, by direction of the Central Police Department, gone to the boys’ school and ordered the closing of the school and sending away of the pupils. The Principal of the school had immediately carried out the order. The Chief of the Police Station had not left the school building when another police officer came to the school to convey the same order. At that time an official communication was received from the Board of Education. After a short while the Chief of the Inspection Section of the Board of Education went to the school to announce the decision. At the same time a similar notification was given to the girls’ school.
“On the same day at 12 o’clock at night the Chief of the Police Station, accompanied by a policeman, went to the girls’ school and to the Kindergarten and took down the sign-boards placed at the gates of these two institutions. On the following day, Sunday, Azer 18th (December 9, 1934) a policeman was placed in front of the girls’ school and two policemen in front of the boys’ school to prevent the students from going to these institutions. It was a very sad and touching scene to the passers-by, both Bahá’ís and others, as some of the pupils, mostly children, were weeping in the streets, sent out from their beloved school regretting the closing down of the same in a deplorable manner. On the same day at 9.30 A.M. the sign-board of the boys’ school was also taken down. The school authorities did not fail to notify the parents of non-Bahá’í students that as the Tarbíyat schools were Bahá’í institutions which had celebrated Bahá’í holidays, the Board of Education had ordered them to be closed.
“After the closing of the schools the National Spiritual Assembly instructed the friends to abstain from sending their children to other local schools pending a decision from the Guardian and obtaining of information as to the definite decision of the Government in respect of the schools in future. Most of the students are still waiting a decision and have not applied for enrollment in other schools. Even most of the non-Bahá’ís, whose children were studying in the Tarbíyat Schools, are most patiently waiting for the re—opening of our schools and are regretting and at the same time expressing their astonishment at this unexpected event. It is heard that some of the influential people in Ṭihrán have referred to the Board of Education and have unofficially complained against the action.
“Since it has become clear to the National Assembly that the ill-wishers and enemies of the Bahá’í Faith have made intrigues against the Bahá’ís before His Majesty and accused them of being disobedient to the laws of the country and being careless of the interests of Írán and of lacking patriotic feelings towards their country and that, therefore, the order issued for the closing down of schools was based on the sanction of His Majesty which means that His Majesty has in fact taken such a step, the National Assembly, with a view to removing any misunderstanding and disclosing the truth, had recourse to the following means:—
“A long and detailed telegraphic petition
was sent to His Majesty of which a copy
was handed to the Royal Secretariat. This
[Page 28]
step was of no avail since
two days after the
cablegram was handed to the Telegraph
Office the Head of the Department called
the Secretary of the National Assembly and
told him that as the cablegram was of a
complaining nature, he was forbidden to
send it to its destination. The Secretary of
the Assembly expressed his surprise at
hearing such an illogical statement whereupon
the Head of the Telegraph Department
replied most categorically that he could not
accept such a telegram which he gave back
to the Secretary adding that he could also
refund the cost of same. But the Secretary
never got back the money and kept the
receipt form which was given for it.
“Upon the refusal of the Telegraph Office to accept the cablegram addressed to His Majesty, the National Assembly wrote at once a letter to the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs and asked for due consideration to be given to the matter.
"A petition was sent by the Assembly to the Council of Ministers asking them to remove the difficulties and restrictions created for the Bahá’ís.
“As the National Assembly was not quite sure that the copy of the petition addressed to His Majesty was delivered to its high destination by the Royal Secretariat, it considered the possibility of having further petitions handed to His Majesty through certain high personages. But most of these personages offered their excuse to do this favor on the grounds that His Majesty was exceedingly angry with the Bahá’ís. Among these personages, however, His Excellency Jam, the Minister of the Interior, offered to hand the Assembly’s petition to the Sháh when a favorable occasion should arise. A comprehensive petition was, therefore, drawn up and handed to His Excellency Jam for delivery to His Majesty.
“The Directory Body of the Tarbíyat Schools Committee, by direction of the National Assembly, wrote a long letter to the Board of Education regarding the closing of the schools and sent it by the local post (since the letter would have been refused if sent otherwise).
"In the meantime various regrettable reports were received from provinces and districts in Írán as follows:—
“Information was received from Qazvin through a traveller stating that the local Board of Education had closed the girls‘ school and that the Police had forbidden Bahá’í meetings and gatherings. It was surprising that the local Police had forbidden the Bahá’ís to have their dead buried in the Bahá’í cemetery Gulastán-i-Javid, suggesting that the Bahá’ís should acquire a piece of ground near the Muḥammadan cemetery and bury there their dead without performing any rites or ceremonies so that there may be no different treatment in favour of the Bahá’ís. It is evident that the friends have never complied with such instructions which are against their conscience and religion and will never do so in the future.
“A report was received from Káshán that the local Board of Education had closed down the Bahá’í school Vaḥdat-i-Bashar in that town and the police had forbidden all Bahá’í gatherings and meetings, both private and public in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and in private houses. The Principal of the school was detained for a few days and Aghai Foroughi, one of the leading friends, was imprisoned some days.
“We quote hereafter some excerpts from the report recevied from the Assembly in Káshán:—
“On December 9th last the Chief of Police sent a message to the Spiritual Assembly through one of the friends, Dr. Sulaymán Bergis, that Bahá’í meetings, both private and public, should be stopped and that no Bahá’í should openly declare his faith. The following day the police arrested the guardian of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds premises and made him give a written assurance that no Bahá’í meetings should be held in the Bahá’í Center.
“On December 13th last the Chief of Police, accompanied by another official and a number of policemen and an inspector from the Detectives, went to the Vaḥdat-i-Bashar schools for boys and girls and closed down the same by order from the capital. Then the party proceeded to the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and ordered that nobody should visit this place. They also confiscated the furniture and articles of the boys’ and girls’ schools and sent out the gate-keeper of the
Relics of the Báb.
[Page 30]
Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds from
this building. Then
they took Mírzá ‘Abbás Khhan Maḥmudi,
the Principal of the School, to the police,
arrested him there for three days with a
view to frightening him and forcing him
to deny his faith, but all without any avail.
On the following day Dr. Sulaymán Bergis
and Mírzá Moussa Youssefian were taken
to the police. The former was released
after a short while, but the latter was held
until the following day. They were both
released on bail. Again another friend was
taken to the police and after using bad
language against him and against the Cause,
they released him. The Maarefat school
at Árán (a suburb of Káshán) was also
closed. At present all Bahá’í institutions
are closed and suspended and the Bahá’í
schools and the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, which
belongs to the Cause, have been locked up
by the Government officials. These
buildings are liable to be damaged and even
pulled down by rain and snow should they
remain locked up in their present state.
Any Bahá’í who may profess his faith
openly is liable to be arrested. For the last
eighty years the friends in Káshán
had not experienced such restrictions
and difficulties. One of the friends
named Agha Muḥammad
Forouzan was made to give a written
assurance that he will not receive any guests
in his house.
"The pupils who were studying in the Bahá’í schools are left without any decision and are having their time wasted since they will not be admitted in Muḥammadan schools unless they renounce their faith, a course which they will never adopt.
“We have received a report from Hamadán saying that the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds has been closed and that gatherings and meetings have been forbidden.
“The Spiritual Assembly in Sultán—Abád (Aragh) have sent Aghai Noush Abadi, the teacher, to Ṭihrán and sent a message through the latter that the police have closed the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, confiscated the correspondence and archives of the Assembly and that they have even taken away the tiles bearing Bahá’í inscriptions which were fixed up on the walls of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds hall.
“The Assembly in Kirmánsháh have sent a report saying that the police have closed the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and forbidden all the meetings. The preachers are using abusive language on the Cause and inducing the fanatical class to rise against the friends.
"Similar news was received from almost every corner of the country, but such events had not taken place in Ṭihrán till it was lately heard that the police had issued some circular instructions to its various branches both in the provinces and in the capital to prevent strictly Bahá’í activities and suspend all gatherings and meetings and prosecute and arrest everybody who professes his faith openly and also to dismiss from the Government service any Bahá’í who declares his faith openly. Since the issue of these instructions the restrictions began to appear for the friends in Ṭihrán: all Bahá’í gatherings and meetings, both private and public, which used to be held in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and private houses, and some of the Character Training Classes of children were suspended and those friends who used to have meetings in their houses were forced to give written assurance that they would not hold any. Some of the friends were called to the police and warned that they should not declare their faith openly, but as the friends had categorically refused to respond to the call and preferred to suffer all sorts of calamities rather than to comply with the wishes of the officials, the matter was not taken up any further.
“Then some of the local papers and magazines in Ṭihrán, taking advantage of the occasion, began to write articles attacking the Bahá’í schools and the Bahá’ís. One of the local preachers, Shariat Sanglaji, referring to the attack made in some of the papers, had, in the course of the speech he had delivered for the public, expressed his utmost joy and gratitude at the action taken by His Imperial Majesty in closing up the Bahá’í schools which, in the opinion of the preacher, were prejudicial to the good morals of those Muḥammadan students who were studying in the Bahá’í schools.
“According to information received, the schools of Tayyíd and Mowhebat in Hamadán have been closed by order of the local Educational Department and the
[Page 31]
intervention of the Police,
who had driven away the pupils from the
schools in a most discourteous and harsh manner.
“The question relating to the unveiling of women is progressing most satisfactorily and rapidly in this country. The majority of the female class both in the capital and in the provinces have discarded their veils and joined the new movement.
"Special meetings were arranged first by Government departments and then by merchants, various guilds, municipal institutions, etc., where various classes of people were present with their wives without any veils. According to the local press, a number of Mullás and priests as well as some notaries public have attended these meetings with their wives. Some of these Mullás have delivered speeches in support of the new movement and proving that the discarding of the veil has no connection whatsoever with religion. This is most strange and surprising especially when taking into view the utmost degree of fanaticism and narrow—mindedness for which the ecclesiastical class in this country are known.
“It may be worth mentioning here that the ‘Írán’ newspaper published in Ṭihrán has lately reproduced the picture of a number of Mullás and the ecclesiastical class in Qazvín, Írán, accompanied by their wives attending a meeting held in that town to celebrate the unveiling of women.
“The Government, with a view to supporting the movement, has imposed certain restrictions on the fanatical class who are reluctant to joint the movement. Thus women with their veils on are not allowed to use public means of transport and buses, go to public shows, pictures and cafes and cross public streets and thoroughfares. These restrictions are being increased every day.
"The Spiritual Assembly in Ṭihrán, in view of the present movement relating to discarding of the veil, have considered that Bahá’í women should also join the movement and discard their veils at once and attend public meetings with their husbands.
“Special meetings are held by the Assembly for the friends both for men and women in Ṭihrán where they are taught manners and how to behave themselves in society. Qualified Bahá’í teachers are managing these meetings.”
PROGRESS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP IN AMERICA
With the completion of the external decoration of the dome, reported in the previous volume, the Bahá’í House of Worship on Lake Michigan assumed a new and more impressive, as well as more beautiful, aspect. By the union of the architect's genius for design, with the builder’s advance in the use of plastic concrete, an effect has been obtained which the professional engineer and architect recognize as a great forward step and the layman perceives as an extraordinarily appealing development in architecture.
The edifice is so situated upon the North Shore highway that the dome and clerestory sections are visible at turns in the road long before the main structure appears. These two sections, indeed, constitute an organic unit, bound together by the vertical pillars supporting the nine great ribs.
When, therefore, the clerestory section was finished by August, 1935, the first stage in the decoration of the external surface of the House of Worship had been fully accomplished. The throng of visitors, and the host of persons employing the highway adjacent to the Temple site, can now begin to appreciate the majesty with which the completed building will herald the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
For the believers, the completion of the clerestory section represented also a triumph of sacrifice and devotion long sustained and ardently borne. Their hopes and expectations, centered in Temple construction over a period of ten years, came to a temporary fulfilment as they felt the deepened unity and insight acquired as result of such intense concentration upon a tremendous task.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
The longing to collect, publish and
perpetuate the Tablets of the Bahá’u’lláh and
[Page 32]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, keenly felt
by believers in all
countries since the early days of the Faith,
came to definite organized expression among
the Bahá’ís of North America more than
twenty years ago. A National Archives
was established to which all American
believers were requested to send the Tablets
they had received from the Master. Three
volumes of Tablets were soon made available,
and the contents of a fourth volume
are now ready for the press. In addition to
these Tablets, sacred Bahá’í relics and
valuable historical material have likewise been
acquired and preserved. The Archives
Committee in America, indeed, has developed
its function to the point where a
special storage space and reference room will
soon be needed.
Similar National Archives have been initiated in Egypt, Írán, Germany, America and India. The next step in this important function of the administrative order will be the formation of local Archives by the various Spiritual Assemblies in cities and towns.
Not less than fourteen volumes of Tablets revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, compiled under the direction of National Spiritual Assemblies, have been sent to the International-Bahá’í Archives on Mt. Carmel.
THE DIVINE POLITY
The period of two years covered by The Bahá’í World, Vol. VI, has been characterized by the establishment of two important principles controlling the relation of the Bahá’í community to its social environment. In the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Bahá’ís follow a divine polity rather than the competitive, changing and fruitless programs of a misguided world.
The first of these principles is that Bahá’ís in all countries refrain from individual as well as collective political activities. They accept no office dependent upon political influence, and take no part in the clash of partisan movements and interests. Loyal to the enactments of their respective governments, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh stand apart from any activity or influence which can in any way jeopardize their spiritual unity transcending race, nation and class. On the one hand, the Bahá’ís are animated by the conviction that the problems of humanity can only be solved by the union and solidarity of mankind in “one Faith and one Order.” On the other hand, the Bahá’ís are devoting their lives and resources to the upbuilding of a universal civilization not compatible with systems based upon war and strife.
This attitude is not to be confused with that of the “conscientious objector” whose individual outlook compels him to reject, if necessary, the function of government for the sake of his conviction. The Bahá’ís are not retreating into a subjective attitude, but rather seeking to learn the divine art of a unity and cooperation which in itself represents the highest goal of social effort.
In the words of Shoghi Effendi: “This principle is no other than that which involves the non-participation by the adherents of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, whether in their individual capacities or collectively as local or National Assemblies, in any form of activity that might be interpreted, either directly or indirectly, as an interference in the political affairs of any particular government.
“Let them refrain from associating themselves, whether by word or by deed, with the political pursuits of their respective nations, with the policies of their governments and the schemes and programs of parties and factions. In such controversies they should assign no blame, take no side, further no design, and identify themselves with no system prejudicial to the best interests of that world-wide Fellowship which it is their aim to guard and foster. . . . Let them affirm their unyielding determination to stand, firmly and unreservedly, for the way of Bahá’u’lláh, to avoid the entanglements and bickerings inseparable from the pursuits of the politician, and to become worthy agencies of that Divine Polity which incarnates God’s immutable Purpose for all men. . . .
“Let them proclaim that in whatever
country they reside, and however advanced
their institutions, or profound their desire
to enforce the laws, and apply the principles
enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh, they will,
[Page 33]
unhesitatingly,
subordinate the operation of
such laws and the application of such
principles to the requirements and legal
enactments of their respective governments. . . .
“Though loyal to their respective governments, though profoundly interested in anything that affects their security and welfare, though anxious to share in whatever promotes their best interests, the Faith with which the followers of Bahá’u’lláh stand identified is one which they firmly believe God has raised high above the storms, the divisions, and controversies of the political arena. Their Faith they conceive to be essentially non-political, supranational in character, rigidly non-partisan, and entirely dissociated from nationalistic ambitions, pursuits, and purposes. Such a Faith knows no division of class or of party . . . firmly convinced that in a world of inter—dependent peoples and nations the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole, and that no abiding benefit can be conferred upon the component parts if the general interests of the entity itself are ignored or neglected.”
The second principle upholding the integrity of the Bahá’í Order is that which similarly sunders the tie which serves to bind any believer to the religious sect or church with which he might have previously been associated. The Bahá’í does not retain formal membership in any creedal institution, since his faith compels him to live within a larger spiritual society than can exist outside the World Religion of Bahá’u’lláh. Desiring to form part of a new and regenerated humanity able to perceive its fundamental oneness and forge bonds of enduring fellowship and cooperation, the Bahá’í has come to realize that this intention is incompatible with a traditional religious connection whose society is artificially restricted and whose development has been intertwined with historical controversies negating the real purpose of revealed religion.
The following words of Shoghi Effendi have defined the principle for the Bahá’í community: “The separation that has set in between the institutions of the Bahá’í Faith and the Islámic ecclesiastical organizations that oppose it . . . imposes upon every loyal upholder of the Cause the obligation of refraining from any word or action that might prejudice the position (that is, that of an independent religion) which our enemies have in recent years and of their own accord, proclaimed and established. This historic development, the beginnings of which could neither be recognized nor even anticipated in the years immediately preceding ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, may be said to have signalized the Formative Period of our Faith and to have paved the way for the consolidation of its administrative order. As this movement gains momentum, as it receives added impetus from the attitude and future action of the civil authorities in Írán, it will inevitably manifest its repercussions in the West and will rouse the leaders of the Church and finally the civil authorities to challenge the claims and eventually to recognize the independent status of the Religion of Bahá’u’lláh. . . . Though our Cause unreservedly recognizes the Divine origin of all the religions and upholds the spiritual truths which lie at their very core and are common to them all, its institutions, whether administrative, religious or humanitarian, must if their distinctive character is to be maintained and recognized, be increasingly divorced from the outworn creeds, the meaningless ceremonials and man—made institutions with which these religions are at present identified.”
On March 11, 1936, the Guardian referred
again to this important subject.
“The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh has assimilated,
by virtue of its creative, its regulative and
ennobling energies, the varied races,
nationalities, creeds and classes that have sought
its shadow, and have pledged unswerving
fealty to its cause. It has changed the
hearts of its adherents, burned away their
prejudices, stilled their passions, exalted
their conceptions, ennobled their motives,
coordinated their efforts, and transformed
their outlook. While preserving their
patriotism and safeguarding their lesser
loyalties, it has made them lovers of
mankind, and the determined upholders of its
best and truest interests. While maintaining
[Page 34]
intact their belief in the
Divine origin of their respective religions,
it has enabled them to visualize the
underlying purpose of these religions,
to discover their merits,
to recognize their sequence, their
interdependence, their wholeness and unity, and
to acknowledge the bond that vitally links
them to itself. . . . Their Faith, Bahá’ís
firmly believe, is . . . undenominational,
non-sectarian, and wholly divorced from
every ecclesiastical system, whatever its
form, origin, or activities.”
Like two mighty pillars, these policies uphold the Bahá’í community high above the controversies by which every other society is being overwhelmed. They mark a definite turning point in the history of the Faith, inaugurating that new era of development which the Guardian has termed the Formative Period. For the individual believer they are a truly providential protection against the impact of a decaying civilization whose influences otherwise would betray all but the most determined and spiritually evolved souls. As the tree cannot resist the flame which sweeps destructively through the forest, so the human personality in such a conflagration of feeling as now rages upon earth cannot, without protection, resist the myriad tongues of psychological fire darting at him and penetrating his shell of custom, to consume the sacred spirit within.
Justification of the Divine Polity is not necessary, since current events in all parts of the world reveal the disastrous results incurred by confusing spiritual values with political policies, and religious aims with movements which are essentially materialistic behind their mask of slogan and phrase. In the long perspective, the success with which the Bahá’ís have understood, accepted and acted upon these two principles would alone constitute a vast achievement, were they able to serve the Faith at the time in no other way. By such successive steps is the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh emerging as a new world, a world in which man may be truly human—a world more and more separated from the wilderness of civilization in which vast hordes of bewildered people see no outcome except struggle to the death.
EXTENSION OF TEACHING ACTIVITIES IN EUROPE
The powerful efforts of Bahá’í communities established in Europe to promote the Faith have been reinforced by a number of American believers who have been resident or traveling during the past two years.
Among these workers in the field may be cited Miss Martha L. Root, Mrs. Helen Bishop, Miss Marion Jack, Miss Julia Goldman, Mrs. Jeanne Bolles, Miss Jeanne Bolles, Mrs. May Maxwell, Miss Mary Maxwell, Mrs. Sylvia Matteson, and Mrs. Louise Gregory.
Since the previous International review was prepared, Miss Root has visited and worked constantly in Greece, Rumania, Jugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. Notable interviews given her by royalty, statesmen and leading educators have been published in World Order, the magazine of the American National Spiritual Assembly. Her article describing her visit to Iceland has likewise been published in the same magazine.
Concentrating upon her effort to impress the vital importance of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Faith upon the minds of the most influential and responsible leaders of opinion, Miss Root has found it possible to meet in personal audience with Dowager Queen Marie of Rumania, King Haakon of Norway, Prince Paul of Jugoslavia, President Beneš and Ex-President Masaryk of Czechoslovakia, Princess Olga of Jugoslavia, Princess Marina of Greece, now Duchess of Kent, and Archduchess Anton. Other leaders similarly met were Mme. Tsaldaris, wife of the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Constantine Kotzias, Mayor of Athens, Mr. Stasys Lozeraitis, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Erling Eidem, Archbishop of Sweden, in addition to educators in the various countries she visited.
In each case, Bahá’í literature in the
national language was presented. The
impressive record, moreover, includes the
placing of Bahá’í articles in more than
one hundred magazines and daily papers
throughout northern and eastern Europe,
[Page 35]
besides radio addresses
delivered in Praha, Oslo and Bergen.
In earlier volumes of The Bahá’í World it has been made clear with what sheer faith this Bahá’í has, with slight material resources and no assistance from Bahá’í finances, steadily ascended the steep hill of difficulty on her determined pilgrimage throughout the world.
While no one can estimate the direct or indirect results which will in future proceed from these interviews, radio addresses and widespread publicity, Miss Root’s achievement in arranging for new translation and publication of Bahá’í literature stands above the level of conjecture. Thus, "Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,” by J. E. Esslemont, has appeared in Rumanian and Greek, with a Finnish translation on the press. Of pamphlets, five thousand copies of “What is the Bahá’í Movement?” were published in Rumanian, together with an equal number of “The Bahá’í Movement” in the same language, the translator being Archduchess Anton, the former Princess Ileana of Rumania. During Miss Root’s visit to Finland and Iceland, editions of “What is the Bahá’í Movement?” were likewise published in each of these two tongues.
The Twenty-Sixth Annual Universal Esperanto Congress, held at Stockholm, August 4-11, 1934, has been graphically described by Miss Root.
“At the opening session I had opportunity to convey the greeting of Shoghi Effendi and the good wishes of the worldwide Bahá’í community to the delegates present. Bahá’í literature was on sale during the sessions. The special Bahá’í session, held on August eleventh, was beautiful and impressive. The Esperantists met in a Council Chamber of the great Parliament building. Twenty nations were represented. Miss Alminda, Bahá’í and Esperantist of Stockholm, presided. On a long table covered with rich silk the Bahá’í books arranged, Dr. Esslemont’s volume in many languages, and a number of books and pamphlets in Esperanto furnished by Dr. and Mrs. Grossmann and the American N. S. A. After the chairman had spoken of the need for the renewal of religion, I summarized the Teachings on spiritual and social evolution. Lidja Zamenhof spoke last, and as one inspired. While attending the Congress I found it possible to publish four Bahá’í articles in the press.”
A detailed program, unfortunately, is not available of the many public lectures which she delivered in the Balkan and Scandinavian countries during this period. It can only be stated that a number of new study groups were formed, and at least introductory knowledge of the Cause of God widely spread in new areas of Europe.
Sofia, Bulgaria, in which city Miss Marion Jack has resided since her visit to Adrianople (see The Bahá’í World, Vol. V, page 581), has witnessed the formation of the first local Bahá’í Spiritual Assembly in the Balkan States. The group of interested students of the Teachings with whom the Assembly is now working numbers about 150 persons. While Miss Root has visited and worked in Sofia on more than one occasion, rendering invaluable assistance, the institution of the Spiritual Assembly was due to Miss Jack’s ardent and patient labors.
Belgrade, Jugoslavia, has likewise, through the efforts of Mrs. Gregory, become the center of Bahá’í activities now established in what appears to be a permanent form. In the Serbian language, translated by Mme. Draga Ilic, there is now available a pamphlet summarizing the Teachings as well as Dr. Esslemont’s book which was reported in the previous volume. The number of devoted believers has steadily increased, and Belgrade now represents a nucleus which later will surely evolve into an organized Bahá’í community.
Mrs. Bolles and her daughter have assisted the Bahá’í Centers in London, Paris and other cities, more particularly Germany. During September, 1935, these American believers traveled to Nuremberg, Dresden, Berlin, Frankfort, Neckargemünd, Heidelberg and Karlsruhe, addressing groups and finding many opportunities to bring the Faith to the attention of individuals encountered en route.
Similar journeys to Bahá’í Assemblies and
groups in Germany were made by Mrs.
Helen Bishop and Miss Maxwell, after
attendance at the Bahá’í Summer School
held in Stuttgart. As a consequence, the
[Page 36]
believers of that land
have shared their
experiences and methods with American
co-workers, and in turn learned more
directly the principles of the Administrative
Order as developed through the American
Bahá’í community.
The American friends have also followed with admiration the accomplishments of Miss Julia Goldman, Mrs. May Maxwell and Mrs. Sylvia Matteson in Europe.
While in Stockholm during 1935, Miss Goldman had an interview with the archaeologist, Sven Hedin, who expressed his intention of seeing the Bahá’í Temple on the occasion of his next journey to Chicago. In Geneva, Miss Goldman met a number of delegates attending the Institute of Intellectual Cooperation. In addition, this teacher published interviews in the Stockholm press and held a large number of public meetings at Bahá’í Centers in England.
Mrs. Matteson, experienced in press work, assisted the English friends in sending to many newspapers a descriptive article and photographs of the Temple at Wilmette, showing the completed dome unit, with the result that the London Times and other journals published a Temple illustration for the first time. Mrs. Matteson similarly prepared Bahá’í material for papers in Germany.
The devoted sevices rendered by Mrs. Louise Erickson of Brooklyn, in promoting the Faith both in Sweden and Denmark, by journeys to those lands, by providing for the publication of Swedish translations of Bahá’í literature, and by newspaper interviews, are mentioned with gratitude and appreciation. The Spiritual Assembly of Paris in 1935 took occasion to mention the fact that a visitor reported having noted in a Swedish journal that the King of Denmark had accepted Bahá’í literature presented by Mrs. Erickson. Articles reporting Mrs. Erickson’s Bahá’í activities appeared in "Upsala Nya Tidning,” “Ulricehamn’s Tidning,” “Afton Bladet,” and "Dajens Nyheter,” from March to May, 1935.
From reports and bulletins received from European Assemblies the following facts are made available.
“Highly successful meeting, December 30, 31, of the Union of Bahá’í Students of Europe, held in Paris.
“Mrs. May Maxwell left Brussels to attend the Conference in Paris and has returned to carry on the teaching work in Brussels.
"During November Miss Mary Maxwell visited 15 Bahá’í Centers in Germany, speaking everywhere to the Bahá’ís and their friends.
“Mrs. Jeanne Bolles and Miss Bolles left London in December. In St. Moritz they interested several persons in the Cause. Now, upon advice from the Guardian, they have gone to Southern Germany, and will make München their teaching headquarters.
"Madame Paula Moudrá, well-known writer and peace worker, celebrates her 75th birthday in Praha. The Bahá’ís there are grateful for the completion of her translation of the Íqán into Esperanto. Miss Root spent some days in the city. She is now in Budapest, and will go to Athens to carry forth the work which she has been doing for the past few years.
“The League of Nations Library has accepted the copies of World Order, filed them, and made them available for readers.
“Eugen Relgis has written a book entitled Cosmométapolis, which presents fundamental concepts of the ‘revolutionary’ and evolutionary movement in politics, economics and sociology. The only chapter on Religion is given over to the Bahá’í Faith. The author is a Rumanian, but the French translation of his book may be ordered.
“At the recommendation of Shoghi Effendi, Fraulein Edith Horn, member of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Mrs. Charles Bishop, made a tour of the Bahá’í Centers in Germany. The Inter-Relations Committee through Frau Grossmann planned the itinerary, and invited the friends to attend the meetings called for these two visitors.
"After the close of the Summer School in Esslingen, Fraulein Horn and Mrs. Bishop visited Stuttgart, Zuffenhausen, and Geislingen. Besides these two guests, the friends were delighted with the presence in some of their gatherings of Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell, and Miss Mary Maxwell of Montreal.
[Page 37]
Fraulein Els Grossmann of
Neckargemünd was also a guest in Stuttgart
during these days.
“Fraulein Horn and Mrs. Bishop met with the Bahá’ís of Dresden at the Nineteenth Day Feast on September 8th. In Leipzig they had ample time for deliberations with the friends. A special meeting was the reception given by Mrs. Bishop to the Bahá’ís and their friends. A similar invitation was given by Mrs. Bishop in Berlin. The travelers were delighted with the growth of the Cause in this city: in the last year the Community has doubled its membership. There are now a number of active workers to reinforce the efforts so long sustained by Herr Lehne. In Röstock, Frau Walcker, and in Warnemünde Frau Schwedler arranged beautiful meetings for the friends. The Bahá’ís of these centers on the North Sea are always eager to hear at first hand of the activities of the Cause in other centers. In Hamburg, on two occasions, a large number of the friends rallied to hear the two speakers.
“While Fraulein Horn went to Frankfurt to meet with the friends there, Mrs. Bishop went to Heidelberg to address a fairly large study class, led by Dr. and Frau Grossmann at the Museum. In Weinheim an excellent meeting was held.
“On September 23rd, Fraulein Horn and Mrs. Bishop met again in Stuttgart, to share with members of the National Spiritual Assembly their experiences in the teaching field. The special objects of the tour were as follows: the presentation by Fraulein Horn of the notes which she gathered in conversations with the Guardian during her rememberable pilgrimage last May; the presentation by Mrs. Bishop of fundamental principles of the Administrative Order of the Bahá’í Community, more particularly, the Guardianship according to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the dependence of the centers upon their National Spiritual Assembly, and the creation of the Central Fund.
“In February, 1936, the National Spiritual Assembly invited Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bishop to work with the Teaching Committee in the new and general activity designed to increase the number of Assemblies in England. The arrival of Mr. David Hofman was timely; and with the help of these friends, the Committee initiated a Teaching Bulletin in order to draw the isolated Bahá’ís into the National Community life, more particularly, by treating questions on the Administrative Order and circulating the Guardian’s precious letters. The response was immediate and gratifying for the spirited replies also contained lecture engagements for Mr. and Mrs. Bishop’s national tour.
"In London, the practice of featuring an outside speaker along universal lines, once a month, was abandoned; and the program shared by Ḥasan Balyuzi Effendi, now acclaimed as a first—rate speaker, Mr. Hofman and Mrs. Bishop, resulted in increased attendance at meetings. Fireside meetings were arranged by the Youth Group, and by Mrs. Katharine Brown, and Lady Blomfield respectively; besides, Mrs. Bishop met with Mrs. George’s weekly study class for intensive work on ‘The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.’
“Ḥasan Balyuzi Effendi, Mr. Hofman, Miss Cansdale and their enthusiastic colleagues gave a splendid chapter of the International Youth Rally, initiated in America, but observed throughout the Bahá’í World on March 22nd.
“In April, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop went to Devonshire. Lectures were given in Torquay at the Theosophical Society, before a large audience at the Practical Psychology Center; then at half a dozen friendly firesides the Faith was discussed with members of the Oxford Group, psychologists, Theosophists and Anglicans. Ashburton held its first Bahá’í meeting at the home of a resident Bahá’í. Mr. Mark Tobey had been ploughing four years for contacts at Dartington Hall, where he teaches painting. He presented Mrs. Bishop and her lecture before a goodly number in his studio. An American—Norwegian home was then offered for successive lectures with the result that before Mrs. Bishop’s departure, the listeners volunteered to form a study class under Mrs. Tobey’s direction. Good news has just come that interest is sustained; sixteen are faithful through the summer holiday season, while the autumn is promising, indeed.
[Page 38]
“New members are recorded
in the various
Assemblies. London has also gained;
but the friends feel keenly the departure of
Miss Goldman and Mr. F. St. George Spendlove,
who is ever to be identified with the
pioneer work which brought conscious
practice of the high technique of Bahá’í
Administrative procedure.
“The friends in Berlin formed this year a Spiritual Assembly. In addition to the Bahá’í Feasts there are devotional and instructive meetings each first and third Wednesday, the other Wednesday evenings being reserved for the work of the Spiritual Assembly.
“The group Dresden held 40 Bahá’í evenings in the course of the past year.
“The community Esslingen reports regular public meetings and Unity Feasts.
“In Frankfurt-am-Main friends and inquirers come often together for a study of the teachings.
“The group in Goeppingen—Geislingen has been quite active, though handicapped by a loss of four friends through change of residence.
"Hamburg held regular weekly meetings for study and training of speakers. Also the Unity Feasts were held regularly at the friends’ homes.
“In Heidelberg new interest has been aroused through a series of well—frequented semi-public lectures, as well as through some discussion-meetings and courses of introduction.
“In Heilbronn study-classes were arranged, offering a systematic introduction into the Bahá’í Teachings.
“The Bahá’í Community Karlsruhe has meetings every Thursday. Especially well attended are the Unity Feasts which take place alternately in Karlsruhe and Rueppurr.
“In Leipzig the friends gather every Friday and at the Unity Feasts.
“The group in Röstock continued its Lecture—Meetings and Unity Feasts and the study of ‘The Dawn-Breakers.’
“The report of the community Stuttgart, showed vivid activity: general meetings, Unity and other Feasts, Reading and Study Evenings, and the special celebrations and meetings on the occasion of the 13th National Convention. This April, following the example of the S. A. of the Bahá’ís of New York, our S. A. adopted a charter and is thus the first local S. A. of our two countries to be incorporated.
“Also in Warnemünde the friends formed a Spiritual Assembly. As a rule meetings take place every week.
"In their bulletin ‘Vienna Bahá’í News’ the community Vienna reports weekly lectures. Unity Feasts take place regularly in the homes of the friends.
“After the Summer—Week at Esslingen, 1935, the following foreign participants visited the German Communities and Groups: Miss Julia Goldman—Boston (U. S. A.) with Mrs. Ruhangiz Bolles —Washington (Conn., U. S. A.), Mrs. Helen Bishop—Geneva, accompanied by Miss Edith Horn—Frankfort a.M., Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell and Miss Mary Maxwell—Montreal, Canada, as well as Miss Bolles—Washington, Conn., Mr. Ezzatollah Zabih —Ṭihrán, Írán, and Mr. Spendlove—London.
“Mrs. Bolles reported on her journey which, from September 4-16, 1935, took her to Nuremberg, Dresden, Berlin, Frankfurt a.M., Heidelberg, Neckargemünd, and Karlsruhe: ‘Miss Julia Goldman and I arrived in Nuremberg on September 4. In the evening we were called upon by Mr. and Mrs. Lorey of Fuerth near Nuremberg and discussed with them till late many problems of the sacred Cause. Though it is very difficult for the friends to arouse interest for the Cause in their locality they never tire in their efforts to work for the movement. Friday, September 5, we went to Dresden where, in Mr. and Mrs. Koehler’s home, there was a gathering of eight friends. After the meeting many questions were put and followed by a discussion. Mrs. Hentschel, one of the friends in Dresden, invited us for dinner next day, where we met her sons and daughters. There we had also a vivid and interesting discussion on the Faith. Saturday afternoon we left Dresden and at night arrived in Berlin. Unfortunately, we missed the Bahá’í meeting through a misunderstanding. Mr. Lehne gave us the address of a Berlin friend, to whom we wrote instantly. The next morning she came to our hotel, and by the
[Page 39]
Relics of the Báb.
[Page 40]
evening brought
together twelve friends—a
great achievement considering the long
distances in Berlin and the fact that these
friends could not be reached by telephone.
This evening became one of our most
impressive meetings. Tuesday afternoon we
went to Frankfurt a.M., where. at midnight,
Miss Freimueller met us at the
station and conducted us to our hotel. She
gave us all of her time next day. At the
meeting next evening several gentlemen
were present who were mainly interested in
the solution of the economic problem from
the Bahá’í point of view. The requested
theme was: History and tenets of the Bahá’í
Faith. Many questions were asked. We
hope that through the devoted efforts of
Miss Freimueller, with the aid of Miss Horn
and others and God’s assistance a solid
group will soon be created. Thursday we
proceeded to Neckargemünd. Mrs.
Grossmann met us in Heidelberg and took us to
her beautifully situated home. In the
evening we were expected in Heidelberg by
some twenty-eight friends and inquirers;
upon their request we spoke about our
Bahá’í work and experiences in other
countries. There we met again many friends in
whose radiant faces we still beheld a
reflection of the spirit of the Summer School.
The next day found us in Karlsruhe. We
were glad to see Mrs. Brauns at the station;
she made her house our home. The same
night Mrs. Brauns had gathered about thirty
believers and inquirers in her house and once
more we were requested to speak on: Bahá’í
experiences, the development of the
Movement and its practical influence in our
everyday life. Everywhere on our journey
did we meet with sincere welcome, true
hospitality and kind cooperation which
everywhere created the spirit of unity. On
our train rides from city to city we gave
the Message to many. A number of them
to whom we gave literature showed great
interest.
“Mrs. Bishop reports on her trip which she undertook together with Miss Horn: Upon recommendation of the Guardian, Miss Edith Horn, member of the N. S. A., and Mrs. Charles Bishop took a journey through the Bahá’í centers in Germany. The Contacts Committee made the itinerary and invited the friends to the meetings arranged for these two visitors. After the conclusion of the Summer-Week at Esslingen, Miss Horn and Mrs. Bishop visited Stuttgart, Zufienhausen and Geislingen. On September 8th they met the Bahá’í friends in Dresden at the Unity Feast. In Leipzig they had sufficient time for discussions with the friends. Mrs. Bishop gave a special reception to the Bahá’ís and her friends (their friends). Mrs. Bishop gave a like invitation in Berlin. The travelers had the satisfaction to note the expansion of the Cause in this city: during the last year the community had doubled its numbers. Mrs. Walcker arranged for meetings of the friends in Röstock, and Mrs. Schwedler did so in Warnemünde. The Bahá’ís in these centers are always anxious to hear from a direct source of the Bahá’í activities in other centers. A large number of friends assembled twice in Hamburg in order to hear the two speakers. Whilst Miss Horn went to Frankfurt, Mrs. Bishop proceeded to Heidelberg where, at the Museum, she addressed a large study-class. In Weinheim she enjoyed an excellent meeting. Unfortunately it was impossible to meet the friends in Karlsruhe during these days. On September 23rd Miss Horn and Mrs. Bishop joined again in Stuttgart in order to report on their trip to the N. S. A.
"After our friend Zabih from Írán had spent some length of time in Stuttgart, he visited, in August and September, the cities of Karlsruhe, Heppenheim, Neckargemünd, Heidelberg and Frankfurt. His addresses found vivid interest and left a permanent impression.
"To celebrate the birthday of Bahá’u’lláh,
the community of Stuttgart had joined
with the friends of the vicinity and
numerous guests, altogether some 230
persons, for an impressive meeting at the
Gustav Siegle House. Mrs. Alice Schwarz
and Dr. Eugen Schmidt addressed the
audience. The evening was rounded out by a
musical program, and concluded with a
prayer and the singing of a hymn by all.
This day, as well as the Fête-Day of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, were commemorated in a
dignified way with readings from the
testaments of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and
[Page 41]
the ‘Bahá’í Dispensation’
and musical recitals by the friends in Röstock.
“The Bahá’í group Heidelberg had issued a special invitation for a meeting on November 17th which was designed to create a closer bond between the group in Heidelberg and the other friends in Southern Germany. Among the numerous visitors were friends from Esslingen, Frankfurt a.M., Heilbronn, Heppenheim, Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Mrs. A. Schwarz—Stuttgart—spoke on ‘The Day of God’ and Miss Horn—Frankfurt a.M.—told of her trip to Haifa.
“Our German Bahá’í work received a valuable contribution through the travels of Mr. and Mrs. Fozdar from Bombay (India), Mr. and Mrs. Bishop from Geneva, and Mrs. Sylvia Matteson from Chicago (U. S. A.), who came to Germany upon the special request of the Guardian in order to visit the friends in the different communities, and to talk to them. The Fozdars, coming from Geneva, arrived on the 12th of September in Stuttgart, where they held a fine spiritual evening with the community there; they then proceeded to London, visiting on their way the groups and communities in Heidelberg, Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen. At every place they admonished the friends urgently to always bear in mind their responsibility as bearers of the Bahá’í Faith towards a world torn in religious strife and to rise with all their strength to assist in the spiritual construction of the new era. At the end of September Sylvia Matteson, on her trip to London, called on the friends in Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Berlin, and Hamburg. Her report about the Temple in Wilmette, in which she herself served as a guide to groups of visitors, and her narratives of the heroic lives of the great Bahá’í martyrs, culminated in a demand of joyful sacrifice, and never-relenting enthusiasm in the service for the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. At the end of September Mr. and Mrs. Bishop commenced their German trip which lasted over a month and touched every place which had a Bahá’í community or group. The Guardian had given the special mission to Mrs. Bishop to familiarize the friends with the ideas of the Bahá’í administration. After a visit to the Bahá’í community in Stuttgart, she addressed the Dresden friends on the 27th and 28th at a well frequented meeting. She devoted three evenings to the friends in Leipzig. At a common meeting of the Quakers and Bahá’ís in Berlin she delivered an address on the subject ‘Faith,’ and a simple reception in a Bahá’í home united the Berlin friends with their guests. Her next stops were Röstock and Warnemünde. At both places several meetings took place, inspiring and strengthening the participants. Proceeding to Hamburg, she devoted an evening to Schwerin circle and the friends in Luebeck. During her stay in Hamburg the community there had several intimate and more public meetings. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop made their return trip via Bremen, Frankfurt, Heppenheim, Weinheim, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, and Karlsruhe, exerting their efforts everywhere. The end of the trip saw our guests from Geneva again in Stuttgart, Esslingen, and Goeppingen. On the 1st of November they returned to their work at the Bahá’í Bureau at Geneva. All the time they had worked with indefatigable enthusiasm at all the places, teaching and inspiring. Thus they have made a most important contribution towards the awakening of a new spiritual impulse and an increased devotion to the service in our Faith. Several newspapers brought reports and articles on the occasion of the visit of our friends as the Hamburger Fremdenblatt in its evening edition of September 19, and the Hamburger Tageblatt of the same date, and—concerning the Bahá’í Temple in Wilmette—the Hamburger Fremdenblatt of October 10 and a Berlin newspaper.
“The cause of the German Bahá’ís has
received great impetus through the presence
of Mrs. Charles Bishop who, though
stationed in Geneva, has made it possible to
come to the Summer School, as also to visit
the different groups throughout Germany,
often accompanied by Miss Edith Horn
who is now attached to the Frankfurt
Branch but carries out the Guardian’s wish
to visit the various German centers from
time to time. Mrs. Bishop’s great gift as a
speaker illuminates the hearts of her
audience; the earnestness of her spirit and the
[Page 42]
charm of her personality
make Helen Bishop
an outstanding figure in the Bahá’í Cause
and a most welcome guest at every
gathering of friends.
“We are glad to state that we have had quite a number of most welcome teachers visiting us, though most of them were not able to stay long; among them were Miss Marion Jack, Mrs. Gregory, Mrs. Bolles, Miss Julia Goldman, Mrs. Thomas Collins, Mrs. May Maxwell, Mr. Spendlove, Mrs. Matteson, Mrs. Bechtold. Mrs. Hoagg, formerly in charge of the Geneva office for many years, until ill-health forced her to take an extended vacation, stayed in Stuttgart for quite a while and was a frequent visitor at the meetings.
“Of the German teachers Dr. Hermann Grossmann shares honors with Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel and Dr. Eugen Schmidt as the most active speakers before large audiences not only in Stuttgart but in many big and small cities throughout Germany. These three friends have also taken over the greater part of the work given out by the Teaching Committee in connection with the addresses delivered before the Esslingen Summer School, although Frau Alice Schwarz, Frau Schweizer and others have also contributed to this work.
“During the last few years several of the Bahá’ís from Írán studying or employed in Europe have attended the Summer School and their highly spiritual talks have found a strong echo in the hearts of the German believers. Naimi, Morched Sadeh, Ezzatollah Zabih are amongst these Bahá’ís from Írán, while Dr. Fozdar from Poona and his wife Shirin renewed acquaintances with some of the friends who had visited them in India some nine years ago.
"In years of service to the Cause in Germany Frau Alice Schwarz—Solivo stands out as the oldest member, though a great number of very devoted and active ladies could be cited in the South as well as in the North of Germany.
“The Meetings of the N. S. A. have been held once a month as a rule; it is at these meetings that one obtains a glimpse of the quiet, persistent and never-ending work that is being carried on behind the scenes by the small army of faithful believers who are devoting their life and every spare hour to the service of the Cause.
"Nobody, for instance, outside of this small circle of friends can visualize the effort required to cope with the task of translation that is constantly required and that is so urgently needed in view of the fact that relatively so few of the priceless books given to humanity by Bahá’u’lláh, by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and by Shoghi Effendi have so far been made accessible to those of the German friends who are not able to read them in English or French.
“While Stuttgart and surroundings (Esslingen, Goeppingen, Karlsruhe, etc.) first saw the Cause firmly established in Germany, it can be claimed that in Berlin, Frankfurt a.M., Heidelberg, Leipzig, Hamburg, Dresden, Röstock and Warnemünde the Cause has firmly taken root and though the number of declared Bahá’ís is not so great as yet, there is no mistaking the fact that the Cause is spreading in Germany. In order to give the somewhat isolated northern districts all the assistance possible a special committee was formed at the Guardian’s suggestion which includes a member of the N. S. A. and it is becoming quite evident that the Cause in Northern Germany is thereby being given a new impetus.
“Also the Vienna group remains very loyal and active; in 1934 Herr Franz Pollinger was a very interested visitor at the Esslingen Summer School.
“The reports containing the talks held at the Esslingen Summer School were printed for 1933,"* and those of 1934 and 1935 will be printed too and forwarded to Shoghi Effendi.
"The following German Bahá’ís visited Haifa: in 1934: Frau Schweizer, Frl. Anna Kostlin, Herr Karl Klitzing, Frau Inez and Herr Max Greeven; in 1935: Frl. Edith Horn, Herr A. Nagel.
“The Teaching meeting, which took place in the Bahá’í Home at Esslingen from June 8th to 10th, was an experiment in order to find the form and direction for future similar meetings on a larger scale. Saturday night, Dr. Grossmann greeted the friends and pointed out the special character of the gathering as a preparation for teaching—
————————
*Entitled "Lebensgestaltung."
[Page 43]
an activity supplementing
the task of the
Bahá’í Summer-Weeks which are devoted
to a study of the teachings. He emphasized
the twofold nature of the task which
confronts the Bahá’í teacher—and it is the
duty of every individual Bahá’í to teach
and spread the teachings according to his
faculty and possibilities: first to be aflame
with the recognition of his sacred tasks in
the service of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, to
absorb its spirit and to possess an
unshakeable faith in the aiding power
of our religion, second to undergo a careful training.
To this second task was devoted the work
of the Teaching Meeting which, in short
theoretical introductions and in practical
exercises which held the keen and active
interest of all participants, covered the most
important prerequisites for the training of
the Bahá’í teacher. Then Dr. Eugen
Schmidt spoke on ‘Spreading the Bahá’í
Teachings.’ This requires above all our
whole—hearted and sustained efforts towards
a realization and application of the Bahá’í
principles. Most important and essential
for the expansion of the Sacred Cause is our
spiritual attitude, our self-effacement and
our way of living. The Bahá’í teacher must
always be prompted by an untiring effort
to put his words into practice. Our words
are like accepted drafts which some day are
presented to us to be honored. The
qualities which a Bahá’í teacher should possess
are enumerated in the Tablets to Bahá’í
teachers and leaders, in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
demands from the teacher above all purity,
integrity, spirituality, and responsibility.
“The two following days brought five themes and practical exercises.
“Speaking on ‘Selecting and Organizing the Material,’ Dr. Grossmann commenced by pointing out the importance of being able to find the appropriate and most striking quotations when answering questions. It is therefore necessary that everyone read and study the Writings. It is also recommended to read the Bible and the Qur’án as they are often referred to. At present only a fraction of Bahá’u’lláh’s and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings have been translated or published, whilst translations can never claim to possess the same degree of authenticity as the original. Thus we are faced with many difficulties when we try to understand the Sacred Writings. A constant study of the writings and meditation on the texts will develop our understanding and capacity, but we must always be ready to revise our conceptions: as our understanding can be only relative and as our capacity should always be in a state of development, we must never hold dogmatically on to our conceptions if we are desirous of spiritual development.
"Then Dr. Grossmann discussed what Bahá’í Literature has been translated into German so far. We must distinguish between texts by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and records of their utterances taken down by other people. The writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are mostly in the form of Tablets and Letters. There are also a number of recorded addresses and table talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, of which those examined and approved by him, may, in a certain sense, rank with his Tablets and Letters. But notes or reports of others, made after their conversation with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, are often unreliable and must therefore be considered unauthentic. The Bahá’í teacher should avoid referring to them or use them only with the necessary reservations. Then Dr. Grossmann gave a survey of the contents, purpose, and arrangement of all Bahá’í books published in the German language. The practical suggestions about the arrangement of a reference index should cause every Bahá’í to compile one for himself. Each of the three customary systems (book, card, and looseleaf) has its advantages and drawbacks.
“The second theme ‘Oratory’ was discussed by Dr. Mühlschlegel. An historical survey showed what can be accomplished with training in this art. The characteristic of the Greek orator was his adaptability, that of the Roman his clear, somewhat rigid but logical and convincing manner. The Bahá’í who is practicing oratory should heed many things. One of the most important points is the training of the memory. Dr. Mühlschlegel then dwelt on the technique of speaking, breathing, physical and mental attitude of the speaker, the necessity to inspire and lead his audience to action, etc.
[Page 44]
“Then by way of practice Robert
Schultheiss gave a little speech on
‘Faith, Knowledge and Inspiration.’
“In the third theme Dr. Schmidt gave fundamental guiding lines regarding the structure and arrangement of study classes. The difference between a study class and a lecture consists in the participation of every individual. A study class has, therefore, the character of a colloquium. The following points should be heeded for the arrangement of study classes: the number of participants should not be too large so that every one may take an active part in the discussion and may get acquainted with the others. Second, the themes should be well connected and follow in logical sequence. The evening may be opened by a short presentation of the theme and followed by a discussion into which all present should be drawn. The other method of working out the theme by questions and answers, can also be made very interesting. Our enthusiastic and convinced efforts for the great Cause should be coupled with adequate restraint; above all, personal attacks, among the participants, should be avoided. If we want to spread our belief we must first establish it firmly in ourselves. Then Dr. Schmidt spoke on ‘God and Creation’ in a manner designed for study classes, and the participants could recognize clearly what a difficult and responsible task it is to be the leader of such a study class. The essential prerequisite is a complete mastering of the subject and related themes. Only when these can be met should a Bahá’í teacher undertake this task. In conclusion and by way of confirming the aforesaid, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s discourse on ‘God and the Creation’ was read.
“The fourth theme was devoted to the character of Bahá’í Feasts. Dr. Grossmann discussed several points regarding invitations, choice of locality, its decoration, musical introductions, reading from the Sacred Writings and short addresses. As the Bahá’í Faith knows no services in the traditional form of our churches, special attention should be given to the arrangement of our Bahá’í Feasts, which should become a vital experience to friends of the Cause and believers alike. The Nineteenth Day Feasts bear a special character. They are divided into prayer, readings and devotion, and reports of the Spiritual Assembly, and the serving of refreshments which may be very simple and inexpensive. The first part serves as common spiritual communion of the friends with God; in the second part every believer should share the work of the community and the whole Cause. The presentation of refreshments is an outward symbol of the spiritual bond existing between the members of the community. These words were followed by a Bahá’í Feast during which Miss Horn reported on her trip to Haifa.
“The third day of the Teaching Meeting
was devoted to the fifth and last theme,
‘Discussions.’ Dr. Schmidt spoke on its
outward and Dr. Mühlschlegel on its
inward requirements. It is of extreme
importance that the leader know his own
limitations and avoid the discussion of
questions which he could not answer
satisfactorily. Courtesy and poise should always
be observed. The inquirer should be treated
as a friend and not as opposition; his
questions should be met with an understanding
attitude. The religious character of the
discussions should never be forgotten. The
audience often asks questions of a political
character or plain political questions. Here
the discussion leader should point out that
his discourse is based on a religious and not
on a political platform and turn the
discussion to the religious sphere. After his
address, the leader should endeavor to
reconcile diverging opinions and to lead those
expressing them to a recognition of the
Bahá’í standpoint. This was followed by
a practical demonstration, preceded by
addresses on the following themes: 1) Unity,
2) Religion and Science, 3) Religious
Cycles. For the first theme leaders for
the discussion were for 10 minutes: Bruno
Bauer, Fred Kohler, Mrs. Anna Grossmann;
for the second, Mrs. Hede Schubert, Alfred
Schweizer, and for the third, Miss Liesel
Mueller and Mrs. Anna Schoch. The audience
would ask questions which, at times,
got the leader into hot water, and his effort
to find the right answer was extremely
instructive. It was demonstrated that the
Bahá’í discussion leader must meet very
[Page 45]
high requirements to
be able to find the
right and comprehensive answer to the
essential point of the question.
“This Teaching Meeting which was attended by 40 friends from the Southern part of Germany, was a first experiment but its success makes us hope that we shall meet more often for this purpose.
“Many years have passed since the two great writers of France, Gobineau and Renan, called the attention of their readers to Bahá’ísm, awakening an interest which grows as the years pass.
“Later, the Bahá’í friends of France twice had the privilege of receiving ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Himself.
“In France, the Bahá’í Faith is considered a great ideal, a worthy doctrine, and it can be said, without the slightest exaggeration, that both the press and public express opinions and ideas which clearly show a similar tendency.
“The group in Paris is still rather limited in the number of active members, but it is fortunately being increased by young students from Írán as well as by Bahá’í friends passing through Paris.
“Regular meetings are held as follows:
“At Mrs. Edwin Scott’s studio—every fortnight.
“At Miss Sanderson’s home—every month (these meetings are consecrated exclusively to the young students of Írán).
“The Spiritual Assembly meets once a month at the home of Mrs. Dreyfus-Barney.
“The annual Congress of the Union of Bahá’í Students is held at Mrs. Scott’s studio at the end of the year.
“The topics discussed on December 29 and 30 were: 1) History of Religions and their connection with the Bahá’í Faith. 2) Bahá’í Education, the basis of World Peace. 3) Know thee thyself (Socrates). 4) How best to promote the Bahá’í Cause.
"A small group has been formed this year at Lyons by a few persons interested in the Cause and regular meetings are held.
“The Paris group take a special interest in the translation of Bahá’í works and have recently published the second edition of the Essay on Bahá’ísm, by Hippolyte Dreyfus, which has attained a well deserved success, and also a pamphlet ‘Bahá’ísm, Its History, Its Universal Application.’
“Several hundred volumes of works on the Cause have been offered to the Municipal and University authorities and now have a place in the catalogues of Public libraries and universities.
“Madame Hess, in collaboration with Mademoiselle Alcan, has translated into French “Abdu’l-Bahá’s Paris Talks,’ and Monsieur des Hons has translated ‘The Mysterious Forces of Civilization,’ both of which will be published shortly.
“It must be added, that if the French public fail to respond to any attempts of propaganda of the Cause, it, nevertheless, shows a keen interest in the social, philosophical and historical sides of the Teachings.”
Concerning activities during 1935-1936, the Spiritual Assembly of Paris has prepared the following:
“Nous avons tenu cette année les mémes sortes de réunions que les années précédentes mais elles ont été suivies par un plus grand nombre de personnes.
“Parmi les visiteurs, nous avons eu la joie d’avoir Mrs. May Maxwell qui fonda, en 1900, le premier groupe Bahá’í a Paris. Son passage contribua non seulement a notre développement ici mais, étant restée une partie du printemps 5: Lyon, sa présence fut particuliérement utile au petit groupe de cette ville qui s’intéresse £1 la Cause.
“Nous avons eu également le plaisir de voir plusieurs Bahá’ís de passage 51 Paris,et parmi eux, Madame Orlova qui a bien voulu nous faire une trés intéressante causerie sur son travail aux Etats-Unis.
"Nous regrettons le départ de certains des Etudiants Persans qui ont tant ajouté £1 l’inte'rét de nos reunions.
“Nous avons vivement apprécié la présence de l’éminent historien du Babisme, Monsieur Nicolas, a la réunion ou nous avons fété la Declaration du Bab et la Naissance de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
“La Commission de notre Assemblée Spirituelle qui s’occupe des ouvrages Bahá’ís a fait publier:
‘Vers l’apoge'e de la Race Humaine’
[Page 46]
la remarquable lettre de Shoghi Effendi
adressée aux Amis de l’Occident le 11 Mars
1936; une réédition de ‘Le Nouvel Ordre
Mondial’ de Shoghi Effendi, et de
‘L’fZconomie Mondiale de Bahá’u’lláh’ de Horace
Holley.
“Mademoiselle Anguize Tabrízi est allée en Mai dernier voir sa famille 2; Haifa et a bien voulu porter 51 Shoghi Effendi, de la part de Madame Dreyfus-Barney: le manuscrit original des 'Lecons de Saint Jean d’Acre’ ainsi que celui de ‘Trois Legons sur le Début de la Cause’ par ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, non encore publiées, et de nombreuses Tablettes adressées par ‘Abdu’l-Bahá a Hippolyte Dreyfus et a Madame Dreyfus-Barney. Ces écrits traitent de questions de la plus haute importance pour la Cause.
“Paris-Midi, un quotidien de la grande presse parisienne, a publié un article fort intéressant ‘Sorties du Harem pour entrer au Parlement’ sur l’émancipation des femmes en Orient; il signale que le Véritable précurseur du mouvement fut en 1850 Quaratul Eine qui suivit les enseignements libérateurs de Bahá’u’lláh.
“A une de nos réunions le sculpteur Nicolas Sokelnicki entendit parler de la Cause et de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá et se sentit fortement attiré par le Bahaisme. Quelques jours plus tard—sous l’impression de la présence de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—il éprouva le besoin de traduire plastiquement l’impression regue et sur le champ ébaucha le buste, grandeur naturelle, du Maitre, aussi ressemblant que s’il l’avait connu.
“Au milieu de l’état de malaise mondial que nous traversons, c’est une grande force pour les Bahá’ís de France de se sentir unis aux autres Amis qui savent comme eux que le moment actuel n’est qu’une étape vers une civilisation plus ordonnée et meilleure.”
“The Cause in the British Isles has three main centers of activity—London, Manchester and Bournemouth; groups for study are forming in Bradford, York and Orpington. The enrollment of professed followers does not show great increase; but the work goes on steadily. Large public meetings are not practicable where there is a dearth of trained speakers; but at the Center in London where public meetings are now held on Sunday evenings at 6:30 P.M. some aspect of the Movement is always the subject of an address, and questions are invited.
"Sometimes the address is given by a non-Bahá’í on some allied topic, and then the chairman is ready to follow with a short speech linking up the Bahá’í view of the subject. Among the speakers have been The Rev. Magnus Ratter of the Theistic Church, Mr. Brian Goddard and Mr. Allan Burnett Rae of the New Commonwealth (an International Peace Society which embodies in its principal objectives some of the teachings of the Master on the subject), Miss Christine Fraser and Mr. Wren of the League of Nations Union, and Mr. Judd of the L.N.U. Education Committee, The Rev. Leslie Belton, Unitarian Minister, and Mr. H. Polak.
“Among visitors from other lands who have helped at the meetings have been ‘Abdu’l Ḥusayn Khán Naimi, and Mr. and Mrs. Fuad Ruḥani from Írán, Mrs. Stuart French of California, Dr. and Mrs. Fozdar of Bombay, and Miss Julia Goldman from Honolulu.
“Bahá’í speakers have been asked to address the New Thought Conference, the Brotherhood Movement, 21 Theosophist Group, a Toc H. Center, and meetings convened at Cambridge, Doncaster and Brighton.
“During the Feast of Riḍván, 1935, considerable attention was attracted by an exhibition in the London Center of Bahá’í books and pictures, also of personal belongings of the Founders of the Movement in the possession of the Assembly.
“Another feature was a Meeting of Thanksgiving and Commemoration of the Jubilee of King George V. Parts of the Tablet to Queen Victoria were read and the special prayer composed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on behalf of King George V. was recited.
“There are Youth Groups for the study of the teachings in London and Manchester. Some members of the former attended a Summer School at Shoreham in 1934.
“Another development in London has
been the formation of a Women’s Service
Committee which undertakes to collect
[Page 47]
funds and carry out
charitable and humanitarian projects.
“Some of our friends who have not definitely joined the Movement have given very welcome service on this Committee.
“In Bournemouth the Friends have a special fund for the relief of those who are sick or in financial difficulty.
"A notable contribution to the literature of the Movement has been made by the publication of ‘The Promise of All Ages’ by Christophil. This gives a scholarly and comprehensive view of the Great Universal Age which is beginning, and cannot fail to impress the reader. The author traces from the writings of the past how seers and thinkers of all time have foreseen this Day, and how the Founders of all the religious systems of the world have taught their followers to look forward to it.
"With a wealth of detail and quotation from classic writings we are shown the history of the ages as a single epic, conceived of God from the beginning and unfolding with the majestic rhythm of His Purpose till the Great Day dawns and the era of man’s regeneration evolves, the Most Great Peace is established, and unity, harmony and love reign supreme. To many outside readers it will give a new comprehension of the essential oneness of the diverse religions and beliefs, and a vision of hope for the future in a coherent explanation of the meaning and purpose of successive revelations. Many readers have exclaimed, ‘Why have we never heard of this before?’
"Another publication has been ‘The Drama of the Kingdom’ by Mrs. Basil Hall, founded on a plan indicated by the Master when He was in London.
“Reviews and notices of the Bahá’í Movement appear constantly in a Scottish weekly paper, The John O’Groat’s Journal.
“During the past two years three friends who have served the Cause well, have passed beyond the veil.
“On August 31st, 1934, George Palgrave Simpson passed after a long illness. He had retired from active work some time previously; but we do not forget the years when he held office both on the London and National Assemblies. His careful and thorough business methods were of great service in the early days of forming the Assemblies, and for many years he devoted all his leisure hours to the correspondence and work of the Movement.
"On Whitmonday, 1935, passed Elsie Lea, for many years Treasurer and member of the London Spiritual Assembly. She was among those who had the privilege of meeting the Master when He was in this country, and her devotion to His memory was the motive power of her life. Through a long and painful illness her faith remained clear and strong and was her light to the end. Nine of the friends were present when her body was laid to rest and a memorial meeting was afterwards held at the London Center.
“Another great loss was sustained by the London Group in the passing of Harry Romer. Accounts of his life and work will appear elsewhere; but it remains to record the thankfulness of the friends for the privilege of receiving him in their midst, and for the fellowship they have enjoyed with his rare spirit. The loss which the London Group has experienced in the return of Mrs. Annie Romer to the United States is a very real one. Her labors and sacrifices for the Cause were untiring, and we pray that she may receive the only reward to which she looked.
“During the past year the Cause has been registered with the authorities as a definite Religious Community; and the Center in London has the status of a Place of Worship.
“In reviewing the progress of the Movement during the last two years, one recognizes that while there is heartfelt appreciation of the truth and wonder of the Universal Teachings, there is a very real reluctance to enter into anything like sectarian bonds. The more thoughtful have just escaped from old exclusive viewpoints and quite plainly say that they do not desire to commit themselves to any one denomination; but in a country which has made, and is prepared to make, such tangible sacrifices for the ideals of universal peace and brotherhood, one can see evidences that the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh is working strongly and effectively, and one may be full of hope for the future.”
TEACHING ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH AMERICA
An important series of translations have been made during recent years by Miss Leonora Holsapple, long resident as a Bahá’í teacher in Bahia, Brazil. The titles include "Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” in Spanish and Portuguese, the "Paris Talks” of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and “The Most Great Peace” in the latter language. This service concentrated the teacher’s ardent and sacrificing efforts for some years.
In 1935, however, Miss Holsapple, assisted by interested natives, rented a house well situated for public meetings. The first meeting was held on the Anniversary of the Birth of the Báb, and Miss Holsapple writes that she is very encouraged by the results, and particularly by the devotion with which the nucleus of believers, lacking material resources, contributed physical labor for the preparation of the new center.
It is her hope to be able to print a number of other translations she has made, particularly the Hidden Words and Prayers. Manuscript translations of “Some Answered Questions,” the “Íqán” and other Bahá’í works likewise exist which later will be issued in printed form.
During the winter of 1934-1935, Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Mathews carried out an extensive journey through South America, following their trip to Australia and New Zealand, for the sole purpose of stimulating definite and lasting interest in the Bahá’í Faith. While too extensive to include the entire report in this summary, the following excerpts from their record are more than sufficient to indicate the degree of the accomplishment.
"As we had journeyed to South America with a definite Bahá’í program, that of forming groups for the study of the Bahá’í Faith, as well as to find individuals of capacity, who could comprehend Bahá’u’lláh’s program for a future civilization, we gathered facts about the countries through which we were to travel. Thus we learned that while outwardly the Spanish conquest maintained, commerce was slowly drifting into alien hands. Canadians, hardy and thrifty, were here. Americans also, their heads crammed with schemes for accelerating trade. Germans by the thousand, driven from the Fatherland by the great war. Italians out of sympathy with present-day government. These pioneers were moulding the environment to suit their needs, while each brought his traditions and his culture.
“The ‘Santa Lucia’ landed us at Valparaiso and from there the train carried us to the Capital of Chile, Santiago.
“My first definite request to present the Bahá’í Cause was at the Y. W. C. A. The proposal met with an instant response. The staff made all arrangements and when the afternoon arrived the hall was crowded with notables; the heads of the Sweet Memorial hospital and clinic; the directors of the Valparaiso Y. M. C. A., the leaders of the literary societies as well as President of the college and ministers of various denominations. Mr. Mathews opened by reading a page from the 'Bahá’í Scriptures.’ When he finished, the chairman asked him to read it again. This request became the keynote of the occasion, lifting it beyond the ordinary meeting and when the talk ‘Widening Our Horizons’ was finished, questions were asked from every part of the audience. It was already dark when we left the building; the whole afternoon had been filled with heavenly enthusiasm, so much so that we could scarcely credit the fact that we, the bearers of a new Message, had been so warmly receiVed in this distant land.
“Immediate results followed, for both the
head and secretary of the Société de Femina
became students of the Bahá’í Cause. This
little literary circle of thirty students
studied literature in both Spanish and
English and it was therefore arranged that they
should read ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era’
and ‘The Goal of the New World Order’ in
Spanish and English.
“At length the time came when we bade farewell to our new-found friends, happy in the thought that in the Capital of Chile there would be a group studying the Cause. Study would augment capacity and in time an understanding of the principles of the New Civilization would draw these students to become part of the great program of Bahá’u’lláh.
[Page 49]
"There are two ways of
reaching the Argentine from Chile; the
first is over the
Andes, the route Martha Root had taken;
the other skirting Chile and Patagonia. We
determined upon the southern route where
no Bahá’í had yet been. From the south,
winter was already enveloping the whole
Antarctic region, sending icy winds
northward over Patagonia. We decided,
however, to risk these hazards and go to the
Argentine via the Chilean Lakes.
“In this remote land occurred a great spiritual experience, one of those meetings of the spirit that make social amenities pale by comparison. It happened that a German couple had come from Puerto Varas, Chile. Madame de Burmuihl spoke English. In whispers in the corner of the office we talked of the New World Order; as I unfolded the Divine Plan she seemed to read it with me as from an open book. Each statement of mine was rounded out and completed by this clear-sighted woman. As I explained the simple form of our Administration and the station of the Guardian of the Cause, she repeated my words to her husband: ‘Listen Gustave, we have a Guardian—one who holds the world together in this day—one who is preparing humanity for a new civilization.’ Very thoughtfully he turned the idea over in his mind and then replied in a deep voice, ‘Yes, yes, I can understand that. It is as it should be—somewhere a spiritual leader must be making the plan that will guide us out of the wilderness and chaos of the present into a new and better path.’ Madame de Burmuihl explained that they belonged to a large group of Germans who met and studied under the name of ‘Liberal Thought Society.’ But no more literature from the society was permitted in Germany, so as winter approached they were without material for study. The Bahá’í Revelation formed the link in the chain and they embraced it eagerly and whole-heartedly. They felt sure that the study group would accept it as they did.
“Buenos Aires greeted us with a downpour of cold rain. The stirring events of the Chilean trip, however, buoyed our spirits above temperature and filled our hearts with strong hope.
“Opportunity came in the form of an invitation to address the Dramatic Society on the modern drama! I accepted. The afternoon came and dressed in my best I stepped upon my initial platform. The talk received widespread publicity and the daily papers carried the entire talk. This brought the editor of The Standard to interview us. I confided to him my dilemma. He was so intrigued that he decided to study the Cause with me and investigate its truth for himself. After an intensive course of reading he was carried beyond journalistic impulses and there begin to appear in the columns of his paper references to the word Bahá’í, its meaning, its origin and finally a two—column article on the history of the movement from its inception.
“Giving a talk at the Spanish Club I had to employ an interpreter. This was a veritable ordeal and I remembered how many times ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had passed through the ordeal of having His words redistributed by an alien tongue.
“From a variety of public talks there emerged certain personalities that made an indelible impression. First in order of time was Miss Beer, a German from Africa’s Gold Coast. Tragedies had rained down upon her ever since the World War. In an agony of spirit she had battered at the door of ancient theology, only to find herself shut out by dogmatic controversies. From the first, she fell in love with the Bahá’í principles; she amassed a wealth of quotations from the Writings and studied by night as well as by day. After our third lesson she read a paper on the Bahá’í Movement before the German Literary Circle. As the inner commotion of soul subsided, she expressed a happiness that is impossible to describe.
“A giant of undaunted courage was
Senora Barrill. Her husband had been a
pioneer in Argentine finance and from his
accumulated fortune had built a veritable
palace of medieval splendor. Then,
suddenly, she was left alone. It was at this
period of her life that an awakening of soul
occurred. All at once there flooded her
being an inner consciousness that a new
Message had come to earth, a Message, that
would bind all religions together. She
[Page 50]
closed the palace and
started forth in search
of that which her heart foretold. But
everywhere she went she encountered creeds,
old and new. Saddened by failure
she journeyed homeward.
“I gave a talk at the Y. W. C. A. on the union of all races, religions and creeds. Though understanding no English she came, to hear it, with her niece as interpreter. All during the talk I could see that she was in a state of agitation; she clasped and unclasped her hands continuously. As soon as I finished she beckoned me. ‘All over the world I have been seeking the treasure that you have now placed in my hands this afternoon. ‘The New World Order’ that you have explained, has been ringing in my heart for many a long day.’ Often when we sat together before the fire she would cry out ‘Let us go spread the good news—let us tramp the world over.’ And though well over seventy, as we left she was preparing to depart on a world crusade.
“Another wonderful friendship was formed with a distinguished Argentine family that we had met on the train from Bariloche. There were a widow, her daughters and a niece. They came to hear me speak and presently we found ourselves being entertained by the most hospitable of people. We saw gardens copied from the palaces of Europe, where roses grew as high as young fruit trees, beds of lotus in bloom, white and tranquil beside marble pools. Everywhere were rare tropical plants gathered from the far—off islands of the Pacific. One day, while Señorita Lavarello and I were driving, she remarked, ‘You remind me of someone I met in Geneva—a woman all spirit.’ Naturally I asked her name. ‘Lady Bloomfield,’ she replied. ‘Like you she is a Bahá’í. It is strange how much this religion attracts me, but I know it is not for me, for should I approach it ever so secretly, the family would know and every member of the clan would arise to save me from Hell that they would see yawning to receive me;—you have no idea of the power of Spanish traditions—the Rock of Gibraltar is a weak defense by comparison—I would be immediately surrounded by an ecclesiastical conference that would go on forever and ever.’ ‘Well,’ I replied, laughing, ‘if the picture you have painted is even half true, I think you better come to the United States where no one will be interested in your beliefs, nor take heed of the ideas you harbor beneath your charming curls.’ So we planned that she should come in the autumn and I pray that this free soul may come under the Bahá’í training that will develop, without curtailing, her lovely spirit.
“The visit to Buenos Aires that in the beginning had been fraught with dark difficulty, terminated in great enthusiasm for the Bahá’í Principles. Alas, that a rigid code prevented joining my pupils together; nevertheless, as I stood on the deck of the steamer that was carrying us to Brazil, I felt that group consciousness would be the natural consequence of Bahá’í study and would come about as a result of it.
“In Rio, Leonora Holsapple joined us. She had come following Martha Root’s notable visit to South America. Settling in Bahia (which in Spanish means bay), she had set herself the task of mastering Spanish and Portuguese, while earning her living in a city directly over the equator. Encouraged by our Guardian, she translated and published ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era’ and other volumes, thus making an outstanding contribution for all time to the Bahá’í Cause.
“Through the influence of this true Bahá’í friend, we were able to form a class without delay. These people were sufficiently evolved to draw together for study and to meet often. A second class soon followed the first through important Americans to whom we had brought letters. The members of this class enabled me to place Bahá’í books in the circulating libraries.
“I spoke on the prophecies fulfilled by the Bahá’í Religion and gave a short outline of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Their reception of the talk impressed us all. It was evident that there existed a strong spiritual tie between us and some day this will be cemented. From that moment they did all in their power to help us spread the Bahá’í Message and surrounded us with every kindness.
“Through Miss Holsapple’s influence I
spoke at the Educational League. This
[Page 51]
important committee
controls the education
of Brazil as well as the reading matter that
goes to schools and libraries. Religion may
not be spoken from their platform but the
breadth of the Cause gave ample
opportunity to outline education from its spiritual
standpoint. I also addressed the Y. W. C. A.
that throughout the journey had treated our
mission with so much cordiality.
“We were invited to spend an evening with the Sufis to address their members. As far as we could learn, they were not connected with the Sufis of Írán. The movement had been brought from India to London and its leaders, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Best, were English. The pamphlets describing the belief seemed subjective in character though broad and humanitarian in design.
“In retrospect it is impossible to number the individuals that crossed our path during this voyage of five months. Constantly we were meeting strangers and constantly telling them of the purpose of our visit. By land and by sea, over thousands of miles, the Cause was heralded and its dynamic news spread.”
Less than a year after this journey by Mr. and Mrs. Mathews, Mr. and Mrs. Dudley W. Blakeley started from New York on a journey to another part of South America, leaving on March 6, 1936 and returning toward the end of April.
The points visited were Haiti, La Guayra, Curaçao, Porto Cabello, Cuanto, Puerto de Sucre, Curapano, Trinidad and Georgetown.
While the journey was taken primarily for reasons of scientific research, the spiritual intention of seizing the opportunity to promote the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in new lands and among new peoples was no less vital; and indeed, the story of this most interesting and effective mission means above all the fact that Bahá’ís, under all circumstances, have a supreme aim which they can fulfil amid the ordinary conditions of life as laymen, and which requires no special ecclesiastical office or distinction.
Georgetown was their objective, and the place where the most active Bahá’í teaching was carried on. The journey itself, however, afforded unique opportunities for personal contacts and friendships in which explanations of the Faith and its literature could be given. A radio talk at Trinidad, B. W. I., was reproduced in the local press, and the Blakeleys found many receptive hearts.
At Georgetown, Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley found themselves in a civilization partly Dutch and partly English in character, with a colony of East Indians whose members proved most receptive.
By public lectures, two series of radio addresses, and the publication of these addresses in The Daily Chronicle, Mrs. Blakeley succeeded beyond her expectation in establishing a real and friendly interest in the new World Order. One series was known as “The Voice of Peace,” the other had the title of “The Role of Religion and Science in Modern Civilization.”
The lecture on “The Unity of Man,” delivered before the East Indian Association, led to the formation of a study class. Other lectures were requested by the Moravian Church and local members of the Masonic order.
SUMMER SCHOOLS
The rise of permanent educational institutions throughout the Bahá’í world marks a definite turning point in the progress of the Faith. This turning point can most briefly be defined as the transformation of the content of the phrase “Bahá’í teacher” from its first meaning of public speaker to the new concept of educator, or teacher in the organic sense. The transition has been from the plane of personal feeling to that of conscious knowledge.
During the era when the Faith was promoted
by believers touched by its spirit but
incompletely informed of its teachings, it
was inevitable that the active worker should
consider “teaching” as exhortation more
than instruction, as an appeal to enter a new
Kingdom of Mystery rather than education
in a universal science or art of the soul.
The well of feeling was necessarily drawn
upon to supply every lack of organized
knowledge, particularly in view of the fact
that the new Revelation was regarded more
as a personal experience than as the basis of
a world commonwealth. The influence of
[Page 52]
the preaching habits of
the professional religionists in the prior
religious environment
also had its strong but unconscious effect,
at least in the West. Moreover, the Faith
disclosed no visible and immediate relation
to the progress of human destiny as a whole,
for in those days the Bahá’ís were as
worshippers in the catacombs of a proud city
which ignored their existence or despised
their belief. The world above and about
them still moved under an impetus which
apparently had no dependence upon the
Word of God.
Through the instrumentality of their Summer Schools, concentrating a trend already beginning to be apparent in the larger and more experienced local centers, the Bahá’ís about ten years ago began to face the fact that their Sacred Scriptures offered all the elements of a spiritual university and not alone the intoxication of a new and purer wine. The personal testimony of faith, the practice of self-revealment, the sharing of individual states of feeling, the standard of "teaching” in the infancy of collective Bahá’í experience, began steadily to retreat before the new standard attempting to safeguard the “light of love in the glass of knowledge.” The educator assumed the place long held by the exhorter, without sacrificing the inner reality of consecration and reverence upon which faith depends. The environment of the Bahá’ís had changed from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s concentration upon individuals to the Guardian’s concentration upon the community, and the rise of the Bahá’í educational institutions is the signal of this change.
By now the moving and evolving spirit of the Bahá’í community realizes the distinction between the "teacher” who possesses knowledge not encompassed round about with personal emotion, and the “teacher” who in reality projects himself upon the group.
The Bahá’í Summer School today, for all its brief duration and informality and modest equipment, offers definite courses of instruction and requires the attitude of the student on the part of those who attend. Its class leaders have prepared themselves by research and reflection, attested in the outlines each has prepared for his course. They have not come to preach but to inform.
In the reports prepared by the various School committees the vitality of their spirit of knowledge is clearly portrayed. As the modern university had its beginning in the new body of knowledge available after the influence of Muḥammad had reversed the anti-rational attitude of the Christians in Europe, so these Bahá’í Schools contain the germ of all future education, and in their fulfilment will be instruments for the diffusion of a universal truth unknown in any previous Dispensation.
Green Acre
1934
"The Green Acre Summer School for the 1934 season began its organized courses on Monday, July 9th, and courses continued in session five mornings a week for seven weeks.
“The first two weeks were devoted to a careful study of the ‘Kitab—i-Íqán.’ . . . Those who were in attendance felt that they gained much added insight into this book of Bahá’u’lláh’s. Mrs. Greenleaf was particularly helpful in the way in which she linked the Teachings of the Íqán with the present problems and needs of the Bahá’í Faith.
“The third week consisted of five lectures given by Miss Mary Maxwell on Nabil’s Narrative, ‘The Dawn Breakers.’ In this series, Miss Maxwell narrated the story of all the important happenings in the life of the Báb and His followers, and thus gave a most dramatic and inspiring review of this remarkable book. It seems certain that no person who had not previously read ‘The Dawn Breakers’ could have heard these lectures without making a resolve to immediately begin to read the whole Narrative.
“During the fourth week Dr. ‘Alí Kuli Khán gave a series of lectures on some of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, which are most difficult for the Occidental Bahá’í to understand. He explained much of the Íránian symbolism used, corrected some mis-translations, and added greatly to our spiritual appreciation of these majestic Tablets. The following Tablets were discussed by Dr.
Interior View of the Bath the Báb went to when a Child.
Interior of the Sháh-Chirágh, Shíráz, Burial-place of the Báb’s wife.
Room occupied by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when a little Boy (six years old) in the Village of Tákur, Mázindarán, Írán.
[Page 54]
Khán during this week:
‘The Tablet of the Virgin’; the ‘Tablet of
the Holy Mariner’;
the ‘Tablet of Wisdom’; ‘The Discourse on
the Temple’; ‘The Seven Valleys’; ‘The
Four Valleys.’
“The topic of the fifth week's course was ‘How can the individual meet the spiritual conflicts of the modern world?’ with Dr. Genevieve Coy as leader of discussion. The purpose of this course was to aid Bahá’ís in meeting some of the spiritual conflicts within their own lives, and also to provide means for greater understanding of the spiritual problems one meets in teaching the Bahá’í Faith.
“The sixth course, taught by Mr. David Hofman, was entitled ‘Proposed Solutions of the Economic Problem Compared with the Bahá’í Economic Program.” In clear and simple language which could be understood by the listener with no background of study of Economics, Mr. Hofman presented the basic ideas involved in Technocracy, Communism, Capitalism, etc. The course was concluded by a discussion of the economic provisions of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, and showed in what ways the Bahá’í Program provides strength at points in which the other solutions were weak.
“During the seventh week of the Summer School Mr. Horace Holley presented important points concerning ‘The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.’ In a twenty-minute introductory talk each day, Mr. Holley discussed ways in which the individual Bahá’í may most usefully relate his life to the World Order. This talk was followed by readings from the World Order Letters of Shoghi Effendi. The morning’s session was concluded by a round table discussion of points related to the Introductory talk and the readings. This course drew a large audience, who were very appreciative of Mr. Holley’s stimulating presentation of both, the material and spiritual aspects of our participation in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
1935
“During the first week of the Green Acre Summer School, July 8-12, Prof. Glenn Shook and Mr. Louis Gregory each gave two lectures, and Dr. Stanwood Cobb gave one lecture in the regular morning class period, from 11:00 to 12:30. The topics considered in their discussion were ‘Immortality,’ ‘Prayer’ and ‘Prophecy.’
“During the second week of the session, Dr. Cobb gave a very helpful course in which he reviewed his own book, ‘Security for a Failing World,’ as well as ‘The Promise of All Ages,’ by Christophil, and then showed how these books can be used in teaching the Bahá’í Faith.
“The third course was given by Prof. Shook, on ‘Mysticism and the Bahá’í Teaching.’ Prof. Shook had prepared a very valuable outline to accompany this course, in which he used Ruḥí Effendi’s ‘Mysticism and the Bahá’í Revelation’ as the basic reading. Topics covered included the following: the conflict between mind and heart, the nature of mysticism, and the fundamental difference between mysticism and prophetic religion.
“The leader who had been scheduled for the fourth course was unable to come to Green Acre and the morning meetings that week were given to prayer and meditation, with various friends as leaders.
"During the fifth week, four different leaders took charge of the work. Mr. Emeric Sala led two discussions on the topics, ‘A New Aspect of Religion’ and ‘A Theocratic Democracy.’ The speakers and topics for the three remaining days were as follows:—Mrs. Rosemary Sala, ‘A Two-fold Consciousness’; Mr. Saffa Kinney, ‘Spirituality’; Miss Louise Wright, ‘The Reality of Man.’
“The course for the sixth week was led by Dr. Genevieve Coy, and the topic for discussion was ‘Racial Likenesses and Differences: the Scientific Evidence and the Bahá’í Teaching.’ The purpose of this course was to provide Bahá’í teachers with scientific material with which to meet the arguments of non-Bahá’ís who maintain that the oneness of mankind is impossible because of racial differences.
“The seventh course on ‘The Origin,
Powers and Conditions of Man’ was led by
Mr. Alfred Lunt, and used sections of ‘Some
Answered Questions’ as the basic text. Mr.
Lunt discussed very helpfully such topics
as: the true place of man in the universe;
[Page 55]
the human spirit as a
divine trust, and gateway of eternal life.
“The final course of the summer school was given by Mr. Horace Holley, on the topic ‘The Most Great Peace.’ The purpose of this course was ‘to concentrate thought upon the Bahá’í conception of and program of World Peace, in clear distinction to the conceptions and programs emanating from traditional religious and political sources.’ Mr. Holley began the course with a valuable historical summary of past efforts toward world peace, and concluded with a discussion of the ‘Most Great Peace of Bahá’u’lláh as Regeneration of Mankind, and as Transformation of Society.’
“The largest average attendance at the courses was during the last two weeks,—44 and 43, respectively. The number of different people attending during these two weeks was 80 for the seventh course and 73 for the last course.
“Three week-end conferences were held during the summer:—Teaching Conference, July 5-7; Amity Conference, August 17-18; Youth Conference, August 24-25.
“One of the most valuable aspects of life at Green Acre is the informal discussion which goes on wherever the friends meet in small groups. Such discussions were frequent during the summer of 1935, and those who shared in them found them unusually inspiring. Interested non-Bahá’ís often joined in these small groups, and thus had an opportunity to learn more of the Bahá’í teachings. We were especially happy in having a number of such guests at the Inn, some of whom have already joined Bahá’í communities.
“Green Acre was especially fortunate in having Ruḥí Effendi as a visitor for ten days at the end of the summer. He was a valuable member of the last course of the season, and many of the students found in his two dynamic evening lectures the highest point of the summer’s work.
Geyserville
1934
DEVOTIONS: 9:00 a. m. daily, under Big Tree.
CLASSES: 9:30 a. m. to 12:30 p. m. daily, in Odd Fellows Hall.
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS: 2:30 p. m. each Tuesday and Friday in the Redwood Grove.
TRAINING AND TEACHING OF CHILDREN: 9:30 a. m. daily in Children’s Library. Under the direction of National Committee for the Training and Teaching of Children.
PUBLIC MEETINGS: Fellowship Dinner with Geyserville Grange, 6:30 p. m., Thursday, July 19th, at the Grange. Griffith Grove, Santa Rosa, 2:30 p. m., Sunday. July 22nd.
Odd Fellows Hall, Geyserville, 8:00 p. m., Thursday, July 26th.
UNITY FEAST: The annual reunion of the Friends and their guests, 12:00 noon, Sunday, July 15th, under the Big Tree.
COURSES OF STUDY: THE HISTORY OF THE BAHA’I FAITH—9:30 a. m. daily.
- PRINCIPLES OF BAHA’I ADMINISTRATION—10:30 a. m. daily.
- FUNDAMENTAL BAHA’I PRINCIPLES (Creative Discussion)—11:30
a. m. daily.
1935
“The Western States Summer School, held at Bosch Place, Geyserville, July 14th to 27th, 1935, was one of the best sessions ever held.
“It was opened by the usual Unity Feast, under the ‘Big Tree,’ at noon, July 14th, attended by some 225 people. A true spirit of unity and devotion marked the opening of the School at the Feast, and continued throughout all the sessions. The attendance at the School meetings for the adults averaged 90. There were representatives present from Canada, England, Transylvania, Tahiti, China, Honolulu, Jamaica, and an American Indian.
“Most of the people were housed in the buildings on the Bosch Place, while a goodly number camped on the grounds, and others secured lodgings in the city.
“In the conduct of the school, a definite objective of the Committee has been to improve the presentation of subjects, and the development at the same time of Bahá’í Teachers. Thus during the courses there were 19 different Bahá’ís who took part in {{bwpage|6|56} the lectures. Each one was required to prepare himself well in advance, and have the subject outlined and condensed, so as to take up not over 30 or 35 minutes at the most. Two years ago a College Professor we had give a few lectures, remarked to me, that he did not see why we secured the assistance of College Professors, as our presentations were better than they could hope to do.
"All classes are conducted on the creative discussion plan. The speaker introduces the subject with his detailed presentation in not over 35 minutes; then a period of 10 to 15 minutes is allowed for questioning and discussion. The third class of the day was even more of a creative discussion meeting, dealing with the Fundamental Bahá’í Principles. In this class the leader used not over 20 minutes to present the subject, allowing 25 to 30 minutes for questioning and discussion. Of outstanding interest was the course on the Influence of Islám and the Teachings of Muḥammad, the first on Islám to be given in an American Bahá’í Summer School.
“There were four round-table discussion meetings, held in one of the beautiful Redwood Groves, which developed enthusiasm and clearer understanding among all present, of the important subjects under consideration.
“Children’s classes were held daily. One class was for those under 7 years of age, the other for those younger. All young people over 13 were permitted to attend the Adult Classes or the classes for those young people between 7 and 13. There were in attendance in all 53 young people, of which over 20 were non-Bahá’ís. Attached is detailed report of the Children’s and Youth Program Committee, outlining the method of conduct, supervision of both study and play, and details of the courses of study.
"Three public teaching meetings were held; one with the local Grange at Geyserville, which is usually attended by all the officers of the Grange, the members of the Chamber of Commerce, city dignitaries, etc.; the second, a general public meeting in the city of Geyserville; and the third, an afternoon public meeting at the Griffith Grove, near Santa Rosa, in the beautiful outdoor amphitheater there. These meetings were all very well attended, and great interest aroused in the Faith.
“The citizens of Geyserville are becoming more kindly to the Bahá’ís all the time. Originally they were quite opposed to us, because of our Faith, Geyserville being an orthodox city. They even went so far as to warn certain of their people to beware of the Bahá’ís and their ‘pernicious teachings.’ This was four or five years ago. It is of interest to note in passing, that the two particular Geyservillians, warned to be careful of the Bahá’ís, have both become Bahá’ís. The newspaper giving full page announcement of the Summer School and an announcement by the Chamber of Commerce extending a hearty welcome to the Summer School, shows the spirit of fellowship that has been developed. This has been possible only through strict adherence to Bahá’í conduct, which changed distrust into trust and confidence.
“The 1935 program follows, together with the names of those who conducted the various classes:
Program
PACIFIC COAST Bahá’í SUMMER SCHOOL
Ninth Annual Session
Bosch Place, Geyserville, California
July 14th to July 27th, 1935
DEVOTIONS:
- 9:00 a. m. daily, under Big Tree.
CLASSES:
- 9:30 a. m. to 12:30 p. m. daily, in Odd
Fellows’ Hall.
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS:
- 2:30 p. m. each Tuesday and Friday.
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES:
- Study Classes 9:30 a. m. daily in Children’s Library.
- Supervised Recreation: 2:30 p. m. daily.
PUBLIC MEETINGS:
- Fellowship Dinner with Geyserville Grange, 6:30 p. m., Thursday, July 18th, at the Grange Hall.
- Griffith Grove, Santa Rosa, 2:30 p. m.,
Sunday, July 21st.
[Page 57]
:Odd Fellows’ Hall, Geyserville, 8:00 p. m., Wednesday, July 24th.
UNITY FEAST:
- The Annual Reunion of the friends and their guests, 12:00 noon, Sunday, July 14th, under the Big Tree.
COURSES OF STUDY:
- HISTORY OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH
- UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF BAHÁ’Í ADMINISTRATION
- THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH
- INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE RELATIONS TO BAHÁ’Í FAITH
- THE TEACHINGS AND INFLUENCE OF ISLÁM
(Classes were conducted by Bahá’í teachers including the following: J. G. Gray, Louise Caswell, Nadeen Cooper, Rowland Estall, Kathryn Frankland, Marion Holley, H. R. Hurlbut, Leroy C. Ioas, Sylvia Kemp, George Latimer, Charlotte Linfoot, Joyce Lyons, Orcella Rexford, Paul Schoeney, Maimie Seto, Irwin Somerhalder, N. F. Ward and Nell Wilson.)
TEACHING CONFERENCE:
- 2:30 p. m., Saturday, July 20th, in Odd Fellows’ Hall.
Round-table Discussions—Leaders,
- Virginia Orbeson—“Return and Reincarnation”; S. Schopflocher—“Problems Within the Cause”; Joe Bray—“Creative Discussion.”
- JOHN D. BOSCH, Chairman
- LEROY C. IOAS, Secretary
- AMELIA COLLINS
- GEORGE LATIMER
- ELLA G. COOPER
Child Training at Geyserville
The following description of the program for children, maintained at the Geyserville Summer School, has been prepared by Mary Walker, recreational director in 1933 and 1935.
“Although the school was originally founded for adults, children and youth have their place in the program, and it is these two groups which will be considered in this account.
“A brief description of the physical set up for the children may help to clarify the picture of this phase of the program.
“Classes for instruction in the Bahá’í teachings are conducted around one large table in a one-room building, bounded on three sides by the outdoor play area. The play area most used is in the shade of a large tree. A small plot of grass provides space for circle games and story-hours for the young children. Several long tables and benches are used for games and handcrafts. A sand pile is also included in the play area.
“For class instruction, the children sit on benches along both sides of the table, and are supplied with pencils and paper, for the construction of notebooks. These classes are conducted by adults with knowledge of both the Bahá’í teachings and educational psychology. They are approximately one hour in length, and include a story, some memory work, and a little picture drawing in connection with the general lesson.
“Notebooks are kept by each child and additions to them are made daily. Hence, at the end of the two weeks, there is a permanent record of the entire set of lessons, and each child’s accomplishments in connection with the lessons. A good deal of effort goes into the construction of these little booklets, and, in many cases, they are among the most treasured possessions of their owners. When a particularly fine piece of work is done, there is recognition for this achievement in the form of a gold star given. It is interesting to note the enthusiasm resulting from such a recognition—small as it is.
"Since the physical development of each individual is recognized as a necessary requisite for a full and worthwhile life, recreation and physical activities are important in the summer school program.
“The director tries to divide her time for the supervision of recreation as equally as possible into three groups—those for the very young children, the older children, and the youth group.
“The recreation period for the young children follows the class lesson in the morning, and includes simple circle games, stories, songs, short walks, simple handcrafts and sand pile constructions.
"The children of this group range in age
[Page 58]
from about three years
to seven years. Aside from the pure enjoyment:
derived from the above-mentioned activities,
there is, for each one, a practical educational
justification. The circle games
provide big-muscle activity, and
are especially important for the
correct and normal growth and
development of the child. Stories exercise
the imagination, assist in the development
of a young child’s vocabulary, and often
illustrate an important moral or social
principle, which aids in character
development. (The writer does not,
however, believe that every child’s
story must have a moral.)
“The singing and learning of songs helps in the musical and rhythmical ability of the child, which will be a source of enjoyment throughout life.
“Handcrafts assist in the development of intricate neuro-muscular coordinations, necessary for poise and various skills such as writing, drawing, and so forth. Short observation walks help to enlarge the general fund of information, and an appreciation of the natural surroundings, to say nothing of the child’s physical strength. Construction in the sand pile increases intricate neuro-muscular coordinations, and imagination. Tunnels, highways, bridges, and castles of sand are real and important objects of construction in the minds and the eyes of little children.
“However, all of these activities emphasize, mainly, the social development of the child—a desire and an ability to work and play with others. No adjustment, aside from normal physical growth and development, is more important than this one of a social nature, for the child who learns and practices the habits of fair-play and congenial give and take will find his place in the world, and will be accepted into society by his fellow men much more readily than if his habits were of a less desirable nature.
“The older children have a recreational program somewhat similar to that of the younger ones, although it is a good deal more complicated. These children range in age from seven to thirteen years. Games of higher organization are substituted for simple circle games. Stories and construction in the sand pile are almost entirely eliminated, and the songs and handcrafts are of a more difficult nature.
“In the afternoon, there is supervised recreational swimming, as well as instruction in swimming, diving, and life-saving methods for the youth and older children’s group. At the same time, a story hour is conducted for the smaller children.
“In the evening, the recreational program is primarily planned for the youth group, although a few of the older children enjoy participation in the activities. These include campfires and ‘sings,’ social games, social dancing, and evening walks. It will be noticed that the activities are mainly of a social character. These are necessary for a well—rounded life, and are included because they are the activities in which the youth of today derives a great deal of pleasure.
“Social behavior of the highest type is expected and maintained, and where instruction is necessary, it is provided. The music for the dances and ‘sings’ is furnished by members of the youth group, and is of a remarkably high calibre.
“Geyserville and the surrounding country offer a splendid setting for delightful evening walks. As large a group as twenty or twenty-five young people enjoys this type of activity during the long summer evenings. Singing is very popular with this group, and is remarkably well done. Several campfires around which community singing is led are enjoyed during the two-weeks’ period.
“The members of the youth group meet with the adults for lectures and discussions on the various phases of the Bahá’í teachings during the morning hours. This plan is probably not an ideal one, and it is possible that an alteration may be made with an increase in the size of the summer school.
“During the entire two-weeks’ period,
the young people are busily engaged in
preparations for a large pageant in which
all of the children and youth participate.
The general theme is the promotion of
international and interracial harmony and
good-will, and, although there is not time
for the children to write the pageant, almost
all of the other responsibilities
are carried by them. These
responsibilities include
[Page 59]
the playing of the various
rôles—some thirty or forty in number,
the selection and
rendering of the music, the construction of
stage settings, lights, and costumes; and
assistance in directing the production. This
pageant has become something which is
looked forward to with eagerness by all of
the students of the summer school. The
outstanding feature is not, however, the
production itself, but it is the sincerity with
which each participant makes his
contribution to the whole affair.
“The members of the summer school are given the opportunity of living in a most broadening and thought—stimulating cosmopolitan group. All stages of financial and economic conditions are found. Many races and nations are represented, and all ages have a place. There is an unmistakable spirit of sincere and joyous good-fellowship and cooperation prevalent at all times. It would be difficult to find a happier community.
“Could any group of people—young or old—be trained and educated in a more ideal situation? Could any community be more wholesome, or more conducive to international, interracial, and interclass harmony?
“Certainly the opportunities of these young Bahá’ís—their background and training—are rare treasures to be cherished and shared now and in future years.”
LOUHELEN RANCH
Seasons of 1934 and 1935
“The Central States Summer School had its beginning in the summer of 1931 when, in the month of August, some score of Bahá’ís and their friends gathered at Louhelen Ranch to study intensively for nine days the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and to spread the teachings in the surrounding country. Louhelen Ranch is the name given to the farm owned by Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Eggleston of Detroit. It is a beautiful stretch of rolling land containing stream, ravine, woods, open fields and pasture and situated in eastern Michigan near the little village of Davison and only ten miles from the city of Flint. The leaders of the classes that summer were Mr. and Mrs. Howard Ives and Mr. and Mrs. Harlan Ober. A marked spirit of harmony and a spiritual atmosphere seemed to pervade the place from the beginning and has been in evidence each summer since, while a steady growth in attendance and interest has taken place which would seem to belie the small and almost unnoticed beginning.
“Each year Mr. and Mrs. Eggleston have generously added buildings and other equipment to the original plant until now there are comfortable summer accommodations for about one hundred people besides an auditorium and a recreation hall.
"The outstanding step forward in 1934 was the inauguration of a separate session for young people. This idea really started with the young people themselves who had asked the previous summer that they might have a session all their own the next summer. Their joyous enthusiasm did not wane and for four days, June 25-28, they proved to those in charge that in the hands of tomorrow’s adults lies a real gift to our beloved Cause. The daily program follows:
- “The Principles of Bahá’u’lláh, Harlan Ober, followed by open discussion.
- Effective Leadership, Prof. Bishop Brown.
- Bahá’í Teachings in Daily Living, Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford.
- Stories from The Dawn-Breakers, Mary Maxwell.
- Outstanding Events in Religious History, James McCormick.
“Counselors for the young people who guided, advised, and helped in plans were Mrs. Dorothy Baker and Stanley Mason. Mrs. Baker conducted the devotional period each morning. There was a resident attendance of about forty, and others who were present for a day or more made about sixty who contacted the teachings. Most of these came from Bahá’í families but there were a few who learned of the teachings for the first time and who since this first knowledge have constantly grown in their love and zeal for the Cause.
“The classes, with the exception of the
one by James McCormick which was held
right after supper, were held in the morning.
[Page 60]
This left the afternoons
largely free
for recreation or for group discussions and
private interviews of deep import to those
concerned. Programs of a more or less
serious nature were arranged for the
evenings by a committee of young people.
“The importance of this definite beginning of a distinct youth conference cannot be overestimated. May its growth, through the power of the Spirit, be unbounded and its influence in establishing the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh be unlimited.
“Many young people remained through the general session which covered nine days, June 30-July 8. June 30 was registration day with a program of welcome, inspiration, and fellowship in the evening, and on the remaining eight days the following program was carried out:
- “Devotions—Leader selected.
- Bahá’í Administration, Bishop Brown and Harlan Ober.
- Stories from The Dawn-Breakers, Mary Maxwell.
- Bahá’í Teachings in Daily Living, Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford.
- Bahá’í Teachings and the Bible, Mrs. Shahnaz Waite.
"Each afternoon a public lecture was given. The evening programs were varied and required less concentration. Often there were stories of Haifa, ‘Akká, and the Master. Sometimes there was group singing. Two evenings directed by the young people were given over to Temple inspiration.
“This was the first summer a special course on Bahá’í Administration had been given and the interest was noteworthy. The opportunity for questions and discussions seemed to satisfy a widely felt need and to indicate a growing consciousness that each individual is a member of and each local community a unit in Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order.
“The summer of 1935 showed expansion in that three sessions instead of two were held. The attendance increased and there was sustained interest and enthusiasm. The youth session covered the dates June 24-27 inclusive. Fifty-seven young people were in daily attendance as residents besides about thirty visitors for a day or more. As far as we know this is the largest group of Bahá’í youth ever gathered in a four-day conference in this country. They were eager, enthusiastic, happy. Their daily morning program was:
- “Devotions, Mrs. Dorothy Baker.
- The Bahá’í Approach to World Problems, Mrs. Ruth Brown.
- The Bahá’í Life, Mrs. Baker.
- World Order Letters of The Guardian,—Forum conducted by one of the young people.
“As previously, the afternoons were free for games or sports or whatever one chose. It was noticeable that many chose to devote a part of each afternoon to quiet group discussions sometimes with one of the teachers and sometimes by themselves. The evenings, too, as formerly were in charge of a young people’s committee which chose to devote a part of each evening to serious subjects. ‘The time is so short,’ they said, ‘that it seems a pity not to have something really worth while in the evening.’ One evening was devoted to a teaching conference under the leadership of Dale Cole, regional representative of the Teaching Committee. Great enthusiasm was shown, many questions were asked, and valuable suggestions were made.
“On the Sunday preceding the youth session Madame Orlova gave two inspiring talks and many were on hand to hear her. Monday, too, she spoke in the afternoon, but was called back to Chicago before the youth session closed. Later she returned and her afternoon talks were a source of attraction during the general session.
“Dr. Lenore Morris was counselor and general assistant at this session for the young people.
“The general session followed the youth session with one day intervening and a few of the youth remained for this session. About fifty-five were registered for full time or for more than a day. There were three regular courses and an address in the afternoon designed especially for those who come in from outside and know little of the Cause. The nine-day program (June 29-July 7) follows:
[Page 61]
::“Devotions (based on Seven Valleys).
- The Conduct of Bahá’í Affairs, Horace Holley.
- The Bahá’í Life, Mrs. Mamie Seto.
- Security in a Failing World, Stanwood Cobb.
“An unusually high spiritual and scholarly standard was maintained in all these courses and they dovetailed into each other as though they had been worked out in consultation.
“According to custom the afternoons were free for visiting, discussion, swimming, games and other recreation except for the public talk which was given by Madame Orlova or one of the teachers. The evening programs were varied and of a more or less serious nature. One evening Madame Orlova gave a beautiful talk on the Bahá’í House of Worship. This led to voluntary offerings which were sent as a special gift to the national treasurer. Two other evenings Madame Orlova spoke on other subjects or gave readings. One evening Frank Warner of Lima told us about his trip to Haifa, illustrating his talk by pictures he had taken while there. The true spirit of the Master's house and the Holy Shrines seemed to pervade the atmosphere at that time. At another evening gathering stories of Haifa and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were told. Community games and singing helped us to get acquainted the first evening. The talk which Mr. Cobb gave about the Turk at one of these evening gatherings helped to make us understand and appreciate the fine qualities of these brothers.
“The first afternoon and evening were given over to a teaching conference led by Dale Cole. The exchange of ideas and suggestions was stimulating.
“At the third session, which was held August 19-25, the plan was the same as for the other general session. The daily attendance averaged from twenty to twenty-five and there was keen interest throughout. Many came daily from the nearby city of Flint so that forty or fifty people were reached in this session. The daily program was:
- "Devotions—Leader selected.
- Foundations of the New World Order, Carl Scheffler.
- The Origin and Powers of Man, Dr. Lenore Morris.
“Public afternoon talks and varied evening programs were maintained as in the other sessions. On two evenings we were entertained by groups from Flint. One of these was a group of colored friends and a number of the regular attendants were colored. The presence of Mrs. True gave a special inspiration for she shared with us her recent experiences at Haifa and messages from Shoghi Effendi. An evening devoted to the Temple resulted in a further offering to the national fund.
“More publicity was given to the school this summer than before. A fine feature article in the Flint Journal is worthy of especial mention. This summer school has made a very definite connection with the city of Flint and two or three carloads of people came out every day to morning, afternoon, or evening meetings. A vigorous and growing Bahá’í community is developing in Flint as a result of the school. To the young people of this group the school is much indebted for their activities and help.
“Besides this outstanding result of the
summer school we believe the school is
having an influence which it is
difficult, even
impossible, to estimate. There is a real
spreading of the knowledge of the Cause
and the individuals who attend surely gain
in the depth and amount of their
knowledge. The courses are intensive. A great
deal of ground is gone over, but the interest
has been sustained throughout and the
attendance almost one hundred per cent of
those enrolled. There has been a distinct
spirit of happiness, hope, and courage in all
the sessions. More than one has said that
he, or she, came tired and discouraged and
went away with hope and vision and desire
to work. The meeting together of Bahá’ís
from different communities has a distinct
value in increasing understanding and
unity. A good many new people have
become interested in the Cause as a result of
the school. Our aim is to follow the
[Page 62]
instructions of Shoghi
Effendi in widening
the range and consolidating the foundations
of this school year by year.
“Besides these sessions reported the school is open throughout the season to casual inquirers or to those who wish to spend a quiet vacation or to Bahá’í groups for a day’s outing. During the past summer Mr. and Mrs. Dale Cole made the ranch their headquarters and Mrs. Cole was in constant residence. More and more it is the hope that this will be a center from which there is a constant flow of the teachings and spirit of Bahá’u’lláh.—Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick, Secretary.”
ESSLINGEN, GERMANY
"Die Bahá’í' Sommerwoche 1934
Vom S.-12. August 1934 im Bahá’í-Heim bei Esslingen a.N. Kurs A: Volk und Glaube, Ref. Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel.
Kurs B: Von Christus bis Bahá’u’lláh, Ref. Dr. Hermann Grossmann.
Kurs C: Bahá’í-Glaube und Christentum, Ref. Dr. Eugen Schmidt.
Kurs D: Bahá’í-Verwaltung, Ref. Dr. Hermann Grossmann.
(Administration), Korref. Frau H. Bishop, Dr. Eugen Schmidt.
"Vortriige: Religion, Dr. Eugen Schmidt. Manifestation, Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel.
Gott in uns, Emil ]6rn. Deutsches Gottsuchen, Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel. "Tagungsplan: “Samstag, 4.8.: Anreisetag und Begriissung “Sonntag, 5.8.:
10 Uhr Morgenfeier 15 Uhr Vortrag: Religion 17 Uhr Vortrag: Manifestation “Montag, 6.8.: 9 Uhr Kurs A: Volk und Glaube I 16 Uhr Kurs A: Volk und Glaube II
"Dienstag, 7.8.: 9 Uhr Kurs B: Von Christus bis Bahá’u’lláh I 16 Uhr Kurs C: Bahá’í-Glaube und Christentum I "Mittwoch, 8.8.: 9 Uhr Kurs B: Von Christus bis Bahá’u’lláh II 16 Uhr Kurs C: Bahá’í-Glaube und Christentum II 20 Uhr Vortrag: Gott in uns “Donnerstag, 9.8.: 9 Uhr Kurs B: Von Christus bis Bahá’u’lláh III Nachmittag und Abend frei “Freitag, 10.8.: 9 Nachmittag Kurs D: Bahá’í—Verwaltung (Administration) I 16 Nachmittag Kurs C: Bahá’í-Glaube und Christentum III 20 Nachmittag Vortrag: Gottsuchen “Samstag, 11.8.: 9 Nachmittag Kurs D: Bahá’í-Verwaltung (Administration) II 16 Nachmittag Kurs D: Bahá’í—VerWaltung (Administration) III 20 Nachmittag Aussprache "Sonntag, 12.8.: 10 Nachmittag Schlussfeier mit Ruckblick auf die Sommerwoche. Abreisetag
Deutsches
“Die Sommerwoche soll wieder den Charakter einer Arbeitsgemeinschaft tragen, Weshalb sich an die tiiglichen Kurse jeweils eine gemeinsame Aussprache anschliessen wird. Eine rege Mitarbeit der Teilnehmer Wird sehr begrfisst. Auf Wunsch kiinnen besondere Aussprachen angesetzt werden.
EINLADUNG
“zur 1/ierten Baba"z'-Sommerwoche, Esslingm
a.N., 24. August—1. September 1935 “Leitthema: 'Dcr Mensch der Neuen Aera.’ "Kurse:
Helen Bishop—Genf, Dr. Hermann Grossmann — Neckargemünd, Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel —— Stuttgart, Dr. Eugen Schmidt—Stuttgart.
[Page 63]
A. ‘We steht die Welt?’ (Die Gemeinschaft / Der Einzelne / Weltenwende).
B. ‘Der Mensch der Neuen Aera’ (Religibse Lebenshaltung / Organische Lebensgesetze / Schicksal u. freier Wille / Liebe-GlaubeGerechtigkeit-Erkenntnis) .
C. ‘Die Sendung Bahá’u’lláh’s’ (Die Entscheidung / Bahá’í-Prinzipien: Der Einzelne / Bahá’íPrinzipien: Die Gemeinschaft / Bahá’í-Verwaltung) .
"Einzelvortriige:
Alice Schwarz—Solivo: Gottes.’
Helen Bishop: ‘Nabils Erziihlung aus den friihen Tagen des Bahá’í-Glauhens.’
A. M. Schweizer—Zuffenhausen: ‘Leben und Tod.’
Dr. A. Mühlschlegel: ‘Der Ruf nach dem neuen Menschen’ (aus Dichtungen aller Zeiten).
"Sonstige Verzmstaltmzgen:
Morgenfeier (Leitung A. K6stlin—Esslingen, Ansprache Dr. A. Mühlschlegel) / Schlussfeier (Leitung P. Gollmer———Stuttgart, Ansprache H. Bishop) / Musik- u. Liederabend (Leitung Fred Kohler—Winterbach).
‘Der Tag
Tagungsplzm:
"Samstag, 24. August: Anreisetag. 20% Uhr: Begriissung. “Sonntag, 25. August: 10 Uhr: Morgenfeier. ‘Der Tag Gottes.’ "Montag, 26. August: 9 Uhr: Kurs A, 1. 17 Uhr: Kurs A, 2. 20% Uhr: Kurs A, 3. “Dienstag, 27. August: 9 Uhr: Kurs B, 1. 17 Uhr: Kurs B, 2. 20% Uhr: 'Leben u. Tod.’ “Mittwoch, 28. August: 9 Uhr: Kurs B, 3. 17 Uhr: Kurs B, 4. 20%; Uhr: Musik- u. Liederabend. "Donnerstag, 29. August: 9 Uhr: Kurs C, 1. “Freitag, 30. August: 9 Uhr: Kurs C, 2. 17 Uhr: Kurs C, 3. 20% Uhr: ‘Nabils Erzahlung.’
17 Uhr: Vortrag
“Samstag, 31. August:
9 Uhr: Kurs C, 4a. 17 Uhr: Kurs C, 4b. 20% Uhr: ‘Der Ruf nach dem neuen Menschen.’
“Sonntag, 1. September:
10 Uhr: Schlussfeier.
“Die Veranstaltungen finden im esslinger Bahá’í-Heim bei der Katharinenlinde statt, clas durch seine liebliche Lage, abseits Von Verkehr und Grosstadt in Niihe des Waldes, mit Liegewiese und reicher Méiglichkeit zu Spaziergiingen in den Freizeiten ausreichend Gelegenheit zu korperlicher Erholung und Ausspannung bietet. Die Teilnahmekosten betragen R. M. 1S.—einschliesslich Verpflegung und einfacher Unterkunft im Bahá.’iHeim; Einzelzimmer auswarts zu miissigsten Preissen.
“Mijglichst baldige Anmeldung an Frl. Anna Késtlin, Esslingen a.N., Wehrneckarstrasse 1, erbeten.”
August 24-September 1, 1935
Main Theme: "The Man of the New Era.”
Courses: Helen Bishop, Geneva, Dr. Hermann Grossmann, Neckargemünd, Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Dr. Eugen Schmidt, Stuttgart.
A. “Where Does the World Stand?” (Community, The Individual, The turn of the times).
B. “The Man of the New Era” (Religious Life, Organic Life—Laws, Fate and Free Will, Love-Faith—Justice-Knowledge).
C. “The Message of Bahá’u’lláh.”
- (The decision, Bahá’í-Principles:
- The Individual
- Bahá’í—Principles: The Community Administration.)
Single addresses: Alice Schwarz—Solivo:
- “The Day of God.”
- Helen Bishop: “Nabil’s Narrative from
the early days of the Bahá’í faith.”
- A. M. Schweizer: “Life and Death.”
- Dr. A. Mühlschlegel: “The Call for the
New Man” (from the poetry of all ages).
Other events: Morning celebration (Miss A. Köstlin—Esslingen, Speaker Dr. A. Mühlschlegel).
- Closing celebration (Direction P.
Gollmer—Stuttgart, Speaker Helen Bishop,
[Page 64]
:Musical Evening Fred Kohler—Winterbach).
CONFERENCE OF BAHÁ’Í STUDENTS AT PARIS
During the past six years, an annual conference has been held in Paris which gathers together for discussion and study a number of students attending various universities in Europe, all of whom are declared Bahá’ís.
An interesting account of the conference held December 29 and 30, 1935, has been furnished by the committee, through Mr. M. Ḥakím. This statement, in the original French, follows:
“Nous sommes trés heureux d’informer ceux auxquels nous avons envoyé la Convocation du 15 Novembre dernier que la 6éme Conference annuelle des Etudiants Bahá’ís a eu lieu les 29 et 30 Décembre 1935, chez Mme. Scott, dans la plus grande joie et sincérité.
“En effet, conformément au désir supréme de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá de réaliser l’union de l’Est et de l’Ouest par l’intermédiaire de la jeunesse, notre ami Monsieur Rochan a eu l’idée il y a cinq ans, en 1931, d’organiser 51 Paris la premiere Conference.
“Ainsi, chaque année, nos amis se réunissent pendant la période des vacances universitaires du nouvel an, et cette année comme les années précédentes, avec l’approbation de notre Gardien Shoghi Effendi, notre 6éme Conference a eu lieu.
"Pendant les deux jours, 60 personnes furent présentes. Parmi nos arnis, nous avons eu le grand plaisir d’avoir Madame Maxwell, fondatrice de la Cause 5. Paris, qui était venue en France spécialement pour cette réunion, et Mademoiselle Lidia Zamenhof; on connait la valeur et le mérite de son pére, Monsieur Zamenhof, le créateur de la langue esperanto. Il fut également trés agréable pour nous de voir Monsieur Zabih, venant de Lyon ou, depuis deux ans, il réussit 51 former le premier groupe Bahá’í de cette ville.
“Plusieurs amis de province et de l’étranger nous ont exprimé leur regret de ne pouvoir assister 5 la Conférence et nous ont souhaité succés et aide spirituelle.
“Le premier jour, aprés une priére, Monsieur Kennedy, Président de l’Assemblée
Spirituelle de Paris, souhaita la bienvenue puis donna la parole £1 Monsieur Ḥakím, Secrétaire des Etudiants Bahá’ís, qui remarcia les personnes présentes, l’Assemblée Spirituelle de Paris, et donna lecture de l’ordre du jour.
“Monsieur Chahidzadeh traita avec conscience le premier point: ‘L’histoire des religions et leur rapport avec le Bahá’ísme.’ Il démontra que le besoin d’une religion se retrouve it travers les ages et: dans les civilisations les plus diverses, et que le Bal'ié’isme a le caractére universel nécessaire pour rapprocher les hommes de toutes races et croyances.
“Ensuite, Monsieur Dehkan, avec son eloquence habituelle, parla du second point: ‘L’Education Bahá’íe, base de la Paix Mondiale.’ En larges traits il montra, d’une part le parti-pris, d’autre part les problemes vitaux non résolus qui empéchent le monde de sortir du cercle infernal des guerres, puis comment le Bahá’ísme apporte l’esprit de communauté mondiale nécessaire £2 une base durable de Paix.
“Aprés ces deux causeries notre premiere journée prenait fin, et rendez—vous fut pris pour le lendemain.
"Le Lundi 30 Décembre, toujours devant un auditoire assez nombreux, notre ami Monsieur Mesbah traita avec profondeur de vue la question suivante: ‘Connais-toi toiméme (Socrate).’ I1 expliqua comment, pour tout étre, il est essentiel de connaitre ses limites et ses possibilités et si par sa volonté il se tourne vers la source de vérité, Dieu, il pourra donner it ses actes une haute portée morale et bienfaisante.
“Aprés une breve discussion sur ce sujet, Madame Maxwell parla pendant un quart d’heure de l’activité de la jeunesse américaine et canadienne pour la Cause. Puis on commenca a traiter le point de l’ordre du jour relatif a un échange de vues sur ‘Les meilleurs Moyens de répandre le Bahá’ísme’ et on envisagea tour a tour: l’exemple donné par la vie, les publications, les reunions, les voyages et correspondances, etc. Malheureusement le temps s’avancant, on ne put donner que trois quarts d’heure 2. ce sujet.
“Avant de terminer on fit une distribution de livres Bahá’ís, de photos du Maitre, de bagues gravées offertes par Madame Dreyfus-Barney et Miss Sanderson.
[Page 65]
Room in Hájí Mírzá Jání’s House in Kashán, where the Báb slept.
Alcove in Imám-Zádih Ma‘súm, Ṭihrán, where the remains of the Báb were kept.
Grave of Bádi’, Bearer of Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet to Náṣiri’d-Din Sháh, near Ṭihrán.
“Apres ces deux jours de réunion, nous avons senti la veritable intimité qui existait entre ces différentes personnes de l’Ouest et de l’Est réunies sous le nom de Bahá’u’lláh, et nous étions tellement heureux que les Etudiants décidérent d’exprimer dans une lettre, leur joie et leur
fidélité au Gardien Shoghi Effendi.”
EXTENSION OF YOUTH ACTIVITY
During 1933, Shoghi Effendi extended the functions of the American Bahá’í Youth Committee in the following words: “He would strongly urge you to cooperate, heart and soul, with all the various Assemblies, groups and committees throughout the Bahá’í world, to ask for their assistance and help for the successful discharge of your duties and obligations, and in this way to try to build up an active and ready mind among the Bahá’í youth throughout the world. In other words, you should not confine your activities to the national sphere but should strive to create under the supervision of your N. S. A. an international body of active young Bahá’í men and women who, conscious of their manifold and sacred responsibilities, will unanimously arise to spread the Holy Word.”
The period 1934-1936 has consequently represented a rapid development of world consciousness among the Bahá’í youth of North America and the formation of plans more intensive in spirit and more widespread in scope.
As stated in the Youth Committee’s annual report for 1934-1935, “communication has been established with nineteen international groups representing fifteen nations, and with fifty-three local groups.” That same year brought forth a “Bahá’í Youth Bulletin” as the organ of the young people and also a number of study outlines aimed to bring the youth groups into closer touch with the Teachings as the solution of modern problems.
The Committee’s report a year later stated that the Bulletin had been transformed into a quarterly magazine entitled Bahá’í Youth, that regional youth conferences had been held in America, that the young people were centering their energies on the three Bahá’í Summer Schools, and that the first international Youth Day had been observed on March 21,1936.
In Part Two of this volume appears an article summarizing the work of Bahá’í Youth for the period of this survey, and reference should be made to that article. An important element underlying the formation of Bahá’í youth groups is the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, that the age of fifteen years brings the condition of maturity. Since the voting age of the Bahá’í community is twenty-one years, the young people between fifteen and twenty-one are assimilated into the community by permission to attend the Nineteen Day Feast after reporting to the Spiritual Assembly their acceptance of the Faith and their intention of applying for the full voting right on reaching the age of twenty-one.
Above all, the Bahá’í youth group does not represent a "youth movement” in the sense that it is a revolt or separation from the older Bahá’í community. The social pattern created by Bahá’u’lláh is universal; its establishment upon earth calls for every human quality and attribute—enthusiasm as well as wisdom, initiative as well as experience, and the moral and emotional virtues of youth not less than the characteristics of the older generation. The Bahá’í youth group of today undergoes training to become the active Bahá’í community of tomorrow. This means nothing less than the fact that the inherent function of the Teachings, the creation of reality, has begun to project itself nearer the beginnings of spiritual experience as guidance and inspiration for those who otherwise would find their predominant social influence in the pressures of a divided world.
Since the first International Bahá’í Youth Day marked a new stage in the progress of youth activity, it is fitting to conclude this brief reference with a statement on that event by the secretary of the Youth Committee during 1934-1936, Miss Marion Holley.
International Bahá’í Youth Day
“Shoghi Effendi wrote the American Bahá’í youth who had attended the Twenty-Eighth Annual Convention1 as follows: ‘In
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1Through his secretary.
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these days of universal
affliction, of widespread disillusionment
and discontent the
eyes of the entire Bahá’í world are directed
towards the activities which the Bahá’í
youth are initiating in various countries
with the view of hastening the unfoldment
of the Divine Plan. Their hopes for a better
and saner world center chiefly in you who
have been called upon to vindicate through
both your words and deeds those verities
which alone can effectively establish unity
and peace in the world.’
“Certainly the American Youth Committee had no hint of this new era of teaching which the Guardian was about to introduce when, in January, 1936, it determined to invite the Bahá’í youth of the world to a joint celebration of Naw-Rúz. Nor did the local groups who responded so eagerly realize the timeliness of their demonstration. Their intention was but to move one step nearer the goal which Shoghi Effendi had fixed for them, the goal ‘to create an international body of active young Bahá’í men and women. . . .’ It was their common thought that at Naw-Rúz, the opening of a new year in the history of the Faith, they could most seriously celebrate their solidarity, re-affirm their joint purpose, and create new modes for the expansion of their work. Thus, assisted by the American Youth Committee, an international program was adopted for Sunday, March 22, 1936, under the general title of Bahá’í Youth Look to the Future.
PROGRAM
"BAHÁ’Í YOUTH LOOK TO THE FUTURE”
AN INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION OF NAW-RÚZ
Sunday, March 22, 1936
I.
"WAYS TO CONSOLIDATE BAHÁ’Í YOUTH”
A TEACHING CONFERENCE
A. International Responsibility
- A discussion based on the Guardian’s
instruction “to create an international body of active young Bahá’í men and women . . .”
B. Methods in the Coming Year
- A study of ways to develop individual
teaching, local youth group activity, and Summer School programs.
C. Efforts Toward the Bahá’í Life
- A consideration of Bahá’í Faith as a
way of living for young people who, inspired by the Manifestation, may be united by their mutual goal.
II.
"THE IDEALS OF BAHA'I YOUTH”
A SYMPOSIUM
- A. World Order
- B. The Most Great Peace
- C. An Economic Solution
- D. Human Solidarity
- E. The Renewal of Religion
“Groups in fifteen nations were asked to participate and at the time of meeting it was not known exactly how many had planned to do so. Thus the cablegram sent to Shoghi Effendi over-stated the number: ‘Thirty regional conferences Bahá’í youth fifteen nations greet beloved Guardian on Naw-Rúz. Beg prayers (for) confirmations Bahá’u’lláh (on) first demonstration our international unity.’ Actually there were twenty-six conferences reported, representing ten nations of the world: the United States, Canada, England, Germany, France, Egypt, ‘Iráq, India, China, and Japan?1 To their message the Guardian cabled in reply: ‘Overjoyed, deeply thankful. Appreciate greeting. Loving remembrance Holy Shrine.’ In addition to the cablegram, the delegates at every conference signed a letter which read as follows:
‘Dearly-beloved Guardian:
‘Today young Bahá’ís are celebrating in international conference: the inauguration of another Bahá’í year. In unity with our fellows throughout the world we have
————————
1Conferences occurred in Binghamton, Boston, Montreal, Philadelphia, Teaneck, Washington, D. C., Cleveland, Flint, Lima, Milwaukee, Wilmette, Denver, Los Angeles, Monroe, Phoenix, San Francisco; and in London, Paris, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Alexandria, Baghdád, Karachi, Poona, Canton, and Tokyo.
[Page 68]
joined in a new determination to serve the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
‘The thought underlying all our efforts is that, led by your wishes and stimulated by your prayers and trust in us, we may rise to those heights of endeavor to which the example of your own life so clearly directs us. May the seed of Bahá’u’lláh’s Word find in our hearts soil which, prepared by service and study, enriched by tests, and continually nourished by His blessings, may attain capacity to produce His fruits. That our lives may bear testimony to the reality of our Faith, becoming thus potent instruments for the shaping of His great civilization, is our deepest hope.
‘To you, our beloved Guardian, and to the members of the Holy Family and friends of the household, we send our tender love and devotion, longing to become more worthy, that we may be in truth your coworkers in the establishment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.’
"It is impossible to estimate the true significance of these meetings. Not less than fifty American localities participated, as the conferences were regional in nature. Each conference seemed unique in a spirit of enthusiasm and joy; each described the value of its experience in individual and diverse terms; each released without doubt a new energy throughout the region of its influence. In the opinion of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the U. S. and Canada, there was ‘established a new and important public activity which can develop into a great asset to our teaching work, as well as a powerful means for developing experience and capacity among members of the youth groups.’
“But surmounting and transforming these practical benefits was the dynamic unity which stood demonstrated around the Bahá’í world. Nations might be at war; rivalries and antagonisms between countries might run high; the theories and credos of totalitarian States could violate the oneness of humanity; religious, class and racial dogmas could divide in subtle and treacherous ways those who in reality were interdependent; but Bahá’í youth were not affected! The power of Bahá’u’lláh had rescued them from such delusions, His love had stamped them with a true affection for their brothers, and under the shadow and protection of His World Order they joined their hands and hearts. For reasons quite other than these conferences, the year ninety-three will gain import as it recedes into history. Bahá’í youth are proud to have signalized its opening with their first international celebration.”
The following account of each meeting has been prepared for publication in Bahá’í Youth.
AMERICAN CONFERENCES
a. Central Area
“(1) It is fitting that one of the largest and most successful meetings was held at Wilmette in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, with representatives of the Chicago, North Shore, Urbana, and Madison youth groups. The delegates first met at buffet supper, then took part in the Naw-Rúz Feast in the Temple. On Sunday morning a teaching conference was held, and in the afternoon five young speakers addressed an audience which filled Foundation Hall. Their talks were characterized in a telegram from an observer as ‘very clear, well done and with wonderful spirit. Deeply moving to everyone.’
“(2) Cleveland, Ohio, called an impromptu meeting, as the youth were unable to travel to Lima. Marzieh Carpenter spoke on her recent experiences in Írán.
“(3) Flint, Michigan, was conference center for Bahá’í youth of Flint, Detroit, Marysville, Pt. Huron, and Idlewild, who, after Sunday breakfast together, met for a short devotional meeting and a thorough discussion of Bahá’í responsibilities. Emphasis was laid on the reconciliation of international and national loyalties. The group recommended the importance of Esperanto, subscription to La Nova Tago, and inclusion of Esperanto articles in Bahá’í Youth.
“(4) Youth of Toledo, Columbus, Akron,
Cincinnati, Dayton, Fremont, and
Lima met in Lima, Ohio, for a teaching
conference, luncheon, and public meeting
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at which two young and
two adult Bahá’ís were speakers. The
group reported a great
success and the ‘hope that other years will
bring us together again at this happy
season.’
"(5) Mrs. Howard Ives was guest and discussion leader at the conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in which Kenosha also joined. International contacts and local work with international groups were particularly emphasized. Delegates also defined the Bahá’í moral code which young Bahá’ís must establish among themselves.
b. Western Area
“(6) Denver, Colorado, found the chief value of its conference in the experience of organization gained by the group. This effort, it was felt, would set an auspicious example for future plans.
“(7) Southern California youth of Los Angeles, Glendale, Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Southgate, and San Bernardino joined in planning a public symposium ambitiously publicized and executed. Two thousand programs bearing a reproduction of the Temple were distributed. Publicity appeared in seven Los Angeles papers and in three suburban communities. Posters announced the meeting at six colleges, two central libraries, and in six other localities. Also, for perhaps the first time, the Bahá’í Faith received publicity in motion pictures, as two theaters showed an announcement and picture of the Temple. These preparations were repaid by an audience of almost four hundred for the meeting in the Woman’s Club of Hollywood, including a large representation from several Negro organizations. Many new friends were made for the Cause.
“(8) The conference in Monroe, Washington, represented youth from Seattle and Sultan as well. The discussions were especially fruitful, and the delegates resolved to continue such inter—community meetings. All were aware that they had scarcely penetrated the surface of this great Message, but by planning regular classes in Monroe and Seattle they intend to remedy this situation.
"(9) The Bahá’í youth of Phoenix, Arizona, sponsored the Naw-Rúz Feast, following it on Sunday with a public program which was exceptionally attractive.
“(10) Seven communities joined in the teaching conference and public meeting in San Francisco, California. These included Oakland, Berkeley, Burlingame, Geyserville, Kenwood, and Knightsen. The Teaching Committee discovered that in the four speakers it had fine new talent for its regular meetings, and they have since been called upon.
c. Eastern Area
“(11) The Binghamton, New York, youth group gave its consideration to plans for Green Acre, after which one of the adult believers spoke on the life of Qurratu’l-‘Ayn.
“(12) Boston, Massachusetts, scheduled a conference, but this has not yet been reported.
“(13) Bahá’í youth of Montreal, Canada, and several outlying suburbs held a valuable teaching meeting under the leadership of Kenneth Christian, chairman of the National Youth Committee. Plans were developed for effective cooperation with other youth groups in the city, the Bahá’ís forming themselves in teams of two to visit these groups.
“(14) Because the young Bahá’ís of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were unable to journey to Washington, D. C., they arranged a small meeting of their own. Earnest thought was given to their responsibilities and to the habits by which Bahá’ís should be characterized.
“(15) Teaneck, New Jersey, was conference center for young Bahá’ís around New York City. Fourteen attended a teaching conference which was followed by a public symposium. In the evening Horace Holley, secretary of the N. S. A., was guest speaker.
“(16) Washington, D. C., held a regional meeting in which Baltimore and other communities joined. It has not been reported in full.
{{|CONFERENCES IN EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA}}
"(17) British Isles — Fifteen young
Bahá’ís of London met in conference and
sent a cable of greeting to Shoghi Effendi.
Discussion emphasized the importance of
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the Bahá’í life, the need
to conserve our
efforts and to find in the Bahá’í Teachings
the solution to present-day chaos. The
group voted to establish a central library in
which important papers read in future
conferences will be preserved. The meeting
was felt to hold historical significance.
“(18) China—Canton has but one Bahá’í, Chan S. Liu, who, wishing to join the international celebration, announced through the newspapers a meeting at the Asia Hotel. Ten strangers were his guests and have formed the nucleus of a study group.
“(19) Egypt—The Bahá’í youth of Alexandria voted to join in the Naw-Rúz celebration, but as yet no report has been received.
“(20) France—The young Persian Bahá’ís of Paris also held a conference which has not yet been reported.
"(21) Germany — Young Bahá’ís of Hamburg held an informal meeting, since no unofficial organization of youth under twenty-one is allowed in Germany today. They expressed firm faith in the principles of Bahá’u’lláh, feeling that these can be reconciled with obedience to government. Miss Mary Maxwell reported the sentiments of the group when she wrote: ‘Our tolerance, as well as our firm adherence to the Teachings, is needed as a bridge between the thoughts of this country’s youth and the New World Order we are building.’
“(22) The Bahá’í friends of Heidelberg, both young and old, joined to celebrate International Youth Day at a public meeting and tea. Three speakers discussed ‘The Historical Significance of the Day,’ ‘The Life of a Bahá’í,’ and ‘Godly Peace.’ It was agreed that world peace is only possible when based on the unity of mankind.
“(23) India—Mr. Isfandiar Bakhtiari, president of the Spiritual Assembly of Karachi, presided at a three-hour conference of young Bahá’ís. In a recent letter the secretary reported that ‘we youths passed a very happy time in explaining and discussing the Bahá’í Faith, and we have sworn to wake up from our deep slumber and try our utmost to keep pace with our Bahá’í friends abroad.’
“(24) An interesting photograph has been received of the Youth Committee of ten members recently organized in Poona during the Naw-Rúz conference. Poona has thus joined in fulfilling the Guardian’s request for the consolidation of ‘an international body’ of young Bahá’ís.
“(2S) ‘Iráq—During the conference of Bahá’í youth in Baghád, a fund was established for the purchase of Bahá’í pamphlets for free distribution. These are to include the series of the Free Literature Committee of America, as well as Shoghi Effendi’s World Order letters. It is hoped ‘to create a true general knowledge of the spirit of the Cause which is so grievously misunderstood among enlightened and well-cultured people’ of ‘Iráq.
“(26) Japan—Agnes Alexander, pioneer teacher of Japan, had as her guests, in her Tokyo home on March 22, two American-born Japanese girls. One of these is at present studying Japanese in order to return to her native Hawaii to teach the Bahá’í Faith. Three newspapers carried announcements of the international celebration.”
A BAHÁ’Í PIONEER IN ETHIOPIA
In December, 1934, a letter was received reporting the formation of a Spiritual Assembly on November 25 of that year at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The establishment of a Bahá’í community in that land was accomplished by Sabri Elias, a believer from Egypt. Referring to this achievement, the Spiritual Assembly of Haifa stated: “We are happy to report to our friends throughout the world encouraging news of the progress of Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith in Ethiopia—the only independent Kingdom in Africa. . . . Its fate seems uncertain and thus it is the more interesting to the Bahá’ís and the more significant that at this time of agitation and unrest, the Bahá’í Faith should have started to permeate that historical land.”
While conditions have been completely
changed in the country since 1934, the local
Assembly having been obliged to suspend its
communications, the fruit of such a devoted
effort has been permanently secured,
[Page 71]
in part at least,
by the translation of Bahá’í
literature into the native language.
One of these volumes, in fact, was presented to Emperor Selassie at Jerusalem in 1936 by Mrs. Lorol Schopflocher of Montreal.
“Through the activities of the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt the Bahá’í Cause had marvelous achievements outside Egypt. In January, 1934, our dear brother, Sabri Effendi Elias of Alexandria, was sent to Ethiopia to settle there and teach the Cause in accordance with the desire of our beloved Guardian. He arrived at Addis Ababa and proceeded with his work with such zeal and energy that he was confirmed in giving the message to a certain number of natives and other nationalities. The opponents, members of Muslim and Coptic clergy, could not succeed in their attempts in withholding the progress of the Cause. After one year of hard labor our friend succeeded in establishing the first Spiritual Assembly in the Capital of that remote African country.
“The first service which that Assembly accomplished was the revision of the Ethiopian translation of ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era’ formerly undertaken by Sabri Effendi, and its printing. Pamphlets were also published in the Amhara language and distributed among the public. The malicious reports by which slanderers tried to defame the Cause, and the accusations made by them, that Bahá’í meetings have a political attitude, caused the Royal Private Secretary to summon Atto Haylo Gibriel, the vice-president of the Assembly, who explained the Bahá’í Cause and produced its books which were highly appreciated by the Secretary. ‘Abdulláhi Aḥmad Adari, another staunch friend, traveled to Lecampti in Ethiopia where he settled himself and is occupied in giving the message to his countrymen. Owing to the present conditions of the country Sabri Effendi was requested by the authorities to return home with other foreigners. He assures us that the Cause is firmly established in that country, and that the Abyssinian believers are so firm and kindled that they will faithfully carry on the work during his absence.”
GRADUAL ENFORCEMENT OF BAHÁ’Í LAWS
In the “Book of Aqdas,” revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in the form of answers to questions, the worldwide Bahá’í community possesses a common foundation in the elements of spiritual principles and also constitutional laws.
The Faith has progressed to the point where a number of these principles and laws can already be conscientiously observed.
Among these are, the use of the obligatory daily prayers, the keeping of the period of fasting each year, the practice of monogamy, the avoidance of alcoholic liquors, and the injunction laid upon believers to obtain the consent of their parents before a Bahá’í marriage can be entered into. Another social law enforced whenever possible among Bahá’í communities is that which forbids secular work on the nine Holy Days of the Faith. These Days are listed in the Bahá’í Calendar included in Part Two of the present volume.
Bahá’ís, therefore, are united not only by a common devotion to the Manifestation, by a common acceptance of Teachings on spiritual and social subjects, and by loyalty to their institutions, but also by definite practices setting them apart from the non-Bahá’í community and possessing unique values for the development of character.
Writing on this important subject, the
Guardian has said: “. . . The Laws revealed
by Bahá’u’lláh in the Aqdas are, whenever
practicable and not in direct conflict with
the Civil Laws of the land, absolutely
binding on every believer or Bahá’í institution
whether in the East or in the West. Certain
laws, such as fasting, obligatory prayers, the
consent of the parents before marriage,
avoidance of alcoholic drinks, monogamy,
should be regarded by all believers as
universally and vitally applicable at the present
time. . . . Already, in Egypt, Írán, India
and ‘Iráq, Assemblies, both local and
national, are availing themselves of
the opportunity which the autonomy granted to
Eastern religious communities in matters of
personal status has offered them, to press
for the recognition by the civil authorities
of such Laws of the Aqdas which they
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conscientiously feel they
must uphold and
enforce. They have even, under certain
circumstances, preferred to suspend their
activities and dissolve their institutions
rather than follow the dictates of those
officials who have tried to induce them to
violate what has been expressly ordained by
the Author of their Faith.”
LEGAL PROTECTION FOR THE NAME “BAHÁ’Í” AND SYMBOL OF THE GREATEST NAME
Under the protection afforded by the laws controlling trade marks, the name "Bahá’í” has been legally registered in both the United States and Canada by the National Spiritual Assembly, and similar protection has also been obtained for the symbol of the Greatest Name.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand have taken similar steps for the registration of the Greatest Name.
The American and Canadian registrations are reproduced elsewhere in the present work.
It is evident that the unique spiritual power established by Bahá’u’lláh will before long exercise such influence as to attract those irresponsible souls who seek to attach themselves to any source of prestige, and likewise arouse the attention of others who might seek to mislead the public. A revealed Faith is universal, and in each cycle is offered freely to the entire world. The Bahá’í Faith, however, involves an administrative order and a degree of discipline raising it above the realm of the spiritual philosophies which can be adapted to suit the individual understanding. The believers, therefore, realize a responsibility in upholding the full and complete standard of faith, which remains incomplete until membership in the Bahá’í order is attained.
NEW TRANSLATIONS
During the past two years, the list of translations has been greatly extended. The Word has been made available to added millions of souls in many parts of the world. The new translations include the following titles:
“Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” has been translated and published in Amharic, Urdu and Norwegian. The same work has also been newly translated into Sindhi, Hindi and Bengali, and printed copies are soon to appear.
This book has now been printed in thirty-two different languages.
Eleven different versions of “Hidden Words” have appeared, the latest editions being in Dutch and Serbian. An Armenian translation has been completed but not yet published, while work is going forward on its translation into Urdu, Chinese, Danish and Portuguese.
Of the “Kitáb-i-Íqán,” ten versions now exist in printed form. In addition, Swedish and Spanish translations have been finished and are under publication. The translations in progress are Danish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Czech, Netherland, and Esperanto.
"Some Answered Questions” has been printed in six different tongues, but editions will shortly appear also in Chinese and Urdu. Translations likewise exist in Italian, Armenian and Portuguese, and a Braille transcription is under way.
A collection of Bahá’í prayers has been published in Serbian. A new edition of “Kitáb-i—Iqán” has appeared in the language of Írán.
The “Will and Testament” of Bahá’u’lláh and that of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have been published in German. “The Dawn-Breakers: Nabil’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá’í Faith” has been translated into German and also into Arabic.
The late M. Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney's “Essai Sur le Bahá’ísme” has appeared in a new edition in France.
J. E. Esslemont’s brief statement entitled "What is the Bahá’í Movement?” has been translated and published in Finnish and Icelandic.
“Bahá’í Administration,” the published letters of Shoghi Effendi, and also a compilation of Prayers have been rendered into Urdu.
Finally, “The Mysterious Forces of Civilization” and the "Paris Talks” of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have been translated into French. The latter work has also been issued in Portuguese.
[Page 73]
Most of these versions
are likely to prove
only temporary versions, yet they are a vital
necessity to the promotion of a World
Faith. The permanent editions of the
future must await the formation of that
group of international scholars described by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
LOCAL INCORPORATIONS
The Guardian’s comment upon the legal incorporation of local Spiritual Assemblies was transmitted to the New York Assembly in 1932, through his secretary, after receiving the first draft of the proposed Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws prepared by that Assembly. "It is surely very important to give to the local Spiritual Assembly some legal standing, for as the Cause progresses and its adherents increase, they will be confronted with duties they cannot even imagine at present. Not only will they have to make contracts for acquiring halls for their meeting places, but they will also be obliged to create new institutions to care for their sick, poor and aged people. We hope that before long the Bahá’ís will be able to afford schools that would provide children the intellectual and spiritual education as prescribed in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Master.”
Since the last international survey was prepared, the following Spiritual Assemblies have incorporated: Washington, D. C.; Montreal, Quebec; Bombay, Karachi and Calcutta, India; Rangoon, Mandalay and Daidanaw—Kalazoo, Burma; and Auckland, New Zealand. The Spiritual Assembly of London, England, has registered the Bahá’í Faith with the authorities as a definite religious community, and the Bahá’í Center has now the status of a place of worship.
TURKISTÁN AND CAUCASUS
The city of 'Ishqábád has long been notable from the Bahá’í point of view in that the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár was constructed in that city. Before the Bahá’í activities came under control of the political authorities under the new Russian regime, they had been developed to a high degree of efficiency. Educational facilities had been established, a monthly publication was issued, and the Bahá’í Temple and surrounding grounds had become influential in the life of the city.
It is gratifying to report that the condition of the local Bahá’í communities improved considerably between 1934 and 1936. In 1928, the law expropriating religious edifices, from which the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár had for some time been immune, was applied to that Bahá’í edifice. The use of the structure, however, was continued under a five year lease. This lease was renewed in 1933, for a similar period. In 1935, a new administrative ruling restored all religious buildings to their original owners for an indefinite period, and under this ruling the Bahá’ís were held responsible for extensive repairs to be effected within six months. Through united sacrifice these terms were met, with the result that the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and its surrounding gardens are fully restored to Bahá’í ownership, and their impressive beauty again blesses the city.
Beside the entrance gates of the Temple, the Bahá’í principles have been inscribed on suspended signs in four languages. Public meetings, held twice a week, have been resumed in the sacred House of Worship.
It is reported also that the annual Bahá’í election, the teaching activities, inter-community correspondence and other plans of the Spiritual Assembly are proceeding with only slight and occasional civil interference. The great significance of this improved status of the Faith in these centers is that it prepares the way for the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly, a necessary step in the establishment of the first International House of Justice.
THE ORIENT
Concerning developments in India and Burma, reports from the National Spiritual Assembly convey the following information:
“There has been marked progress of the
Bahá’í Cause in India and Burma during the
last two years. Besides internal
consolidation of the Local Spiritual Assemblies and
the National Spiritual Assembly, there has
been great progress in popularizing the
Cause by means of a teaching campaign and
in translation of Bahá’í literature into
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several Indian tongues.
‘Bahá’u’lláh and the
New Era’ has been translated into Gujerati,
Burmese and Urdu. Sindhi, Bengali and
Hindi translations are in course of
preparation and will be published in 1936. The
Urdu translation of ‘Some Answered Questions’
is almost ready and its publication has
just been taken in hand by the National
Assembly. The Publication Committee is
contemplating translating many other books
into Indian vernacular tongues.
"The Bahá’í Magazine (Urdu and Persian), formerly published under the name of Kaukih-i-Hind, is a widely circulated magazine and has gained considerably in popularity and has helped in spreading the Cause far and wide. The American Bahá’í Magazine now known as ‘World Order’ has a circulation of about forty copies among the English-reading Indians. Many copies of ‘The Dawn-Breakers’ (Nabil’s Narrative) and ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,’ English as well as Urdu and Gujerati editions, were presented to the libraries of the Universities as well as to public libraries and to leading men, and thus a large number of people have been reached through Bahá’í literature. Articles were contributed to the magazines and journals and through them the attention of the public was drawn to the Cause. The seventh All-Indian Bahá’í Convention held in Bombay in April this year (1935) attracted to the public lectures varied audiences comprising Hindus, Moslems, Christians, Zoroastrians and others. A lecture tour of the Universities of Northern India, Delhi, Agra, Aligarh, Benares, Allahabad and Lucknow was organized and lectures were delivered under the auspices of University Unions, Oriental Societies, Religious Fellowship Groups as well as under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, the Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj. A tour of the province of Sindh was undertaken and some important towns in the province were visited. A Sindhi translation of Haft Wadi (Seven Valleys) was distributed and this was very much liked because the province of Sindh had for several centuries been dominated by Sufi thought. Contacts were formed with such religious organizations as the Ahmedias or followers of Mirzá Ghulam Aḥmed of Qadian (who claimed to be the Promised Messiah), the Theosophical Society, the Arya Samaj and the Brahmo Samaj.
“Both the vastness of the country and the variety of its beliefs and differences of language make the task of the National Assembly extremely difficult, and it is on account of these causes and not so much because of the lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Bahá’ís of India that the progress of the Cause has been slow. The National Assembly, however, realizes this and steps are accordingly being taken to so conduct the teaching campaign as to make it reach all the provinces, in all the provincial languages and to all classes of people and specially to the intelligentsia of the country. A fair amount of success has been already achieved and it is hoped better results will be obtained in the years to come.
“The process of seed sowing is, however, going on apace and there are great possibilities in store for the Bahá’í Faith in this vast country which is a continent. We should face the situation with redoubled energy and trust in the intrinsic worth of the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh.
“In order to effect coordination between the friends of India and Burma, the N. S. A. deputed Mr. Hishmatulláh to visit Burma and stimulate the friends of that country. As a result of this visit which produced a general awakening among our Burmese brothers, it was decided to form a National Council of the Bahá’ís of All-Burma under the direction of the N. S. A. This Council held its first meeting on the 9th, 10th and 11th of April, 1935, at Daidanaw, the Burmese Bahá’í village, and passed several very important resolutions. One of them was the addition of an English and Urdu section to the already existing Burmese school at the village.
From the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt we have the following:
“In Egypt, as it is in other countries of the world, the Bahá’í Cause is maintaining its steady progress. Although exposed to fanatical attempts of people of different faiths, the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, nevertheless, receive the highest appreciation and deepest respect on the part of educated and cultured classes.
Room in Shíráz in which Letters of the Living were appointed by the Báb.
Tree in Sháhrúd under which Mullá Ḥusayn and his Companions camped.
View of Badasht, Site of Historic Bábí Conference. (See “The Dawn-Breakers,” Chapter XVI.)
[Page 76]
“As a most advanced country
in the Muḥammadan world, and the largest center of
Muslim studies, Egypt necessarily exercises
such an opposition as may suppress, as they
suppose, the increasing influence of a Cause
which she unjustly deems anti—Muḥammadan.
In fact, the historic pronouncement
of 1925, made by the Muslim Court of
Egypt by which the Bahá’í religion was
declared entirely independent of Islám, and
Bahá’ís, heretics; the subsequent divorce of
their Muslim wives, and the various attempts
by which the Muslim ecclesiastical
authorities try, now and then, to uproot the
Cause—all of these facts embody the extent
of opposition attempted against a
growing Faith. Nevertheless, such attempts
have assisted the Bahá’í Cause in Egypt to
attain a most favorable condition, and have
clarified its status.
"Although deprived under the circumstances from legal protection concerning matters of personal status, Bahá’ís, however, thanks to the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh, were given the opportunity, truly unique, to sever themselves totally from the old fetters of Islám, and to apply freely, through their Administrative Bodies, their personal status according to the Divine Laws and Ordinances of Bahá’u’lláh.
“Further events had also enhanced the influence of the Cause. Apart from the individual sufferings caused by the unceasing attacks, persecutions were managed against Bahá’í groups in almost every Bahá’í center. Prior to 1934, Bahá’ís of Alexandria were persecuted by mobs aroused by a certain Muslim clergyman.
"In 1934, a storm of religious antagonism raged throughout the country in consequence of the redoubled energy of the Christian missionaries. Observing that the number of converted boys and girls of Muslim origin who were attending missionary institutions was increasing, Muslims started a movement in which their leaders, mullás and even the grand Shaykh of Islám associated themselves. Investigations were made by the legal authorities, whereupon most of those boys and girls were taken out of those institutions and contributions were made to provide other institutions for them. The movement would have produced the worst consequences had not the Government dealt with it wisely.
“But the attempt was directed to the destruction of the Bahá’í Cause more than it was made against Christian missionaries. Leading articles were published daily under headings, such as: ‘Bahá’ísm is the real injury to Islám,’ ‘Missionaries attract immature individuals but Bahá’ís attract people of intellect.’
“As that movement emanated from Port Said, the Bahá’ís there were subject to more pressure. The Maazoun (Muslim registrar of marriage contracts) started a series of lectures against the Cause. His attempt to arouse mobs against Bahá’ís was at first suppressed by the authorities; but due to the effective interference of high religious authorities who were repeatedly approached by the leaders of the movement in Port Said, the lecturer was given permission to continue. Failing in their attempt to create anti-Bahá’í disturbances, the instigators persuaded a Muslim wife to bring a charge against her Bahá’í husband before the Muslim court to divorce her. Four religious lawyers volunteered to defend her. The pronouncement was adjourned twice owing to the absence of the defendant despite the fact that the lawyers, producing Bahá’í books as witness, urged that sentence be passed. The judge, having examined those books and considered the statement of the plaintiff that she neither complained against the behavior of the husband nor his treatment of her, refused to give the pronouncement before he could hear the statement of the defendant. While the case was running its course, both wife and husband were living together in harmony. His brother of Cairo, whom he had attracted to the Cause, visited them and succeeded in settling the matter and reconciling them. As both parties did not attend the court any longer their case was actually cancelled. The events of 1934 in Port Said repeated those of 1914, 1920, and 1926, and formed a link in the chain of unceasing persecutions during which the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh became firmly established in Port Said.
“In Cairo, the largest Bahá’í center,
Bahá’ís were called upon by two detectives
who made their necessary enquiries as to
[Page 77]
whether Bahá’í meetings
function in the same manner as those of
missionaries. Next day the local
chairman and secretary paid a
visit to them and presented some pamphlets
and Bahá’í literature which were highly
appreciated. After a short yet interesting
interview, assurance was given to the Bahá’ís
that they could freely hold their meetings
as usual, and should report at once in case
there was any anti-Bahá’í disturbance.
“The most important matters which absorb the care of our Administrative Bodies at present are those pertaining to personal status. Thus, marriage contracts, passport certificates, as well as letters of guarantee, are all issued by those bodies. In order to conduct the affairs according to the Divine Laws of Bahá’u’lláh, the general rules from the ‘Kitáb-i-Aqdas’ were adopted by the National Assembly, which work, having been sanctioned by the Guardian, was published and distributed among the local Assemblies to apply them to matters of personal status. Such marriage contracts and different certificates issued by Spiritual Assemblies are regarded as possessing considerable importance by the authorities to whom they are delivered. For instance, the marriage contract of our friend Aly Effendi Ruhi of Transjordania was, after a long and deliberate consultation, recognized by the British Consulate and a passport for the Egyptian bride was issued accordingly. The marriage contract of Fouad Effendi Yazdi, and later the divorce document, were accepted and actually registered by the Íránian Legation. Passports were also issued to Sabri Effendi Elias and to his wife on their trip to Ethiopia, according to certificates supplied by the Spiritual Assemblies. The first step taken in this respect was in Port Said when Philip Effendi Naimi applied for a passport for his wife. Being of Christian origin he was requested by the passport office to have an official certificate from the Patriarchate to which he belonged. Stating that he is a Bahá’í and that the Bahá’í Spiritual Assembly is the only body which can supply him with the required certificate, after some days of consultation the passport was issued according to the Bahá’í certificate.
“Burial services were also performed by the Spiritual Assembly of Port Said according to Bahá’í rites after the passing of the late Ḥájí Muḥammad Yazdi. A ring bearing the Greatest Name was worn on his finger and a congregational prayer was read, after which the funeral was conducted in absolute silence and the most reverent attitude.
“During the last two years the National Assembly endeavored to obtain official recognition. They approached the Government with the view to invoke their sympathy so as to settle the Bahá’í case and to clarify the situation of the Bahá’ís in conformity with the pronouncement of 1925. Personal interviews with certain officials in the Ministry of Justice showed that the Government is not prepared to extend further recognition to fresh religious communities. As the matter is thus remaining outstanding, the National Assembly, directed by the Guardian, endeavored to maintain the registration of the Declaration of Trust by the Mixed Court, and this action was successfully performed. In order to render that registration effective an acre of cultivated land was offered to the National Assembly by our dear friend Sharoubeem Effendi Ebeid on the occasion of the annual convention of 1935. Legal actions are being taken by the National Assembly to have the property transferred to the Assembly.
“The Arabic translation of ‘Kitáb-i-Íqán’ the Book of Certitude, and its publication, enriched the Bahá’í Library. Copies were sent to the various countries in the Orient where the need for the Arabic translation is growing. During the last two years the Bahá’í Library supplied ‘Iráq, Palestine, Turkey, Tunis, as well as Geneva with Bahá’í books in both the Arabic and Íránian languages.
“The annual convention of 1935 recorded
the ultimate desire of the delegates
to build a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. Thanks to the
Abhá confirmations and to the encouraging
donation of the Guardian, contributions are
being collected from the believers of Egypt.
As the first six months sanctioned for those
contributors desiring to pay in installments
will end on March, 1936, the National
Assembly will, at that time, decide whether
the work can be started or whether more
[Page 78]
funds will be required.
At all events, it is
hoped that the year of 1936 will mark a
striking stage in the evolution of the Bahá’í
Cause and its wide progress in Egypt.”
From the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of ‘Iráq have come the following statements.
“The general conditions and status of the Bahá’ís in ‘Iráq is fairly good, because Religious Liberty, for which the constitution of the country makes provision, enables the Bahá’ís to hold their spiritual meetings regularly and in complete freedom. It enables believers to propound the divine message among their co-citizens with persistent zeal and devotion. This condition is, however, not without disturbance and slanderous attacks from religious bigots, and narrow-minded people who ignore the heavenly grandeur underlying this great Cause.
“The Assembly bought a plot of land for the erection of a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in an ideal place adjoining Baghdád. The Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds is to be constructed on modern lines, and in conformity with the high station occupied by Baghdád in the Bahá’í World. The plan has been completed and meets with this requirement. A copy has been also submitted to our beloved Guardian for approval. But construction was not proceeded with, pending the completion of the necessary municipal formalities, and when this has been completed, the Assembly hopes to proceed with the construction work immediately.
“The Assembly translated Dr. Esslemont’s ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era’ into the Kurdish Language, and it was printed in Baghdád with several beautiful illustrations.
“The Assembly entertained the hope of spreading the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh among the Kurds, in view of their responsiveness and readiness for such message. The more so as their language is poor in literature of any kind, and especially in Bahá’í books.
“The publication of such a book in the Kurdish language will most assuredly meet with a gratifying success, and in this way Kurds would be attracted by the uplifting Bahá’í principles, and their divine program. But it is to be deplored that the authorities have confiscated the book before its publication in final form.
“During the summer of 1935, a copy of the National Assembly’s news letter fell into the hands of an editor of a religious paper in Baghdád. The news letter embodies the minutes of the Fifth Bahá’í Convention in ‘Iráq, with a detailed program of the Assembly for the year. The paper published the greater part of the account, and commented upon it in consecutive weekly issues, according to the dictates of its biased and prejudiced attitude, alleging that the Bahá’í Faith is a great menace to the nation, and described Bahá’ís as dangerous, and unpatriotic, while urging the government to be rid of its Bahá’í officials. This anti-Bahá’í drive had precisely the opposite effect on the Bahá’ís who became more consolidated and united, and met this attack with unperturbed emotions, and inflexible courage. It was a golden opportunity for teaching the Cause, as nonbelievers became interested, and began to inquire about this new Faith with such a body of doctrine. The more alert of these peoples began to approach Bahá’ís and inquire about the reality of their religion, and thereby formed a more representative and accurate view of the Faith.
“At Mosul the Bahá’ís used to hold their meetings in a house rented for that purpose. But a few fanatics began to incite the owner to oust the Bahá’ís from his house, and used coercion and even threats to force his hand. In the face of this critical situation the owner of the house asked the Bahá’ís to vacate the place, and save him inconvenience and ill reputation. The Bahá’ís complied with his request, and remained for a time without a meeting center, until they succeeded in finding a proper place which they made into a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
“But fanatics did not stop there. Some
of their religious heads began to speak in
Mosques, and launch slanderous attacks and
indictments against the Bahá’ís.
Afterwards they were followed by a Jewish
Rabbi who spoke in the Synagogue, and
delivered a virulent speech on the believers,
[Page 79]
singling out one Bahá’í
for special condemnation, and the Bahá’í
in question received
permission from the Assembly to start legal
proceedings against the Rabbi in the civil
Courts. When it transpired that the Bahá’í
intended to take action, the Rabbi sent
some Jewish notables to intervene on his
behalf, and asked the Bahá’ís to forgive
him. He apologized and offered his deep
regrets, promising not to attack the cause
in future. Consequently, the Bahá’í
dropped his case.
“This drastic step was not taken for the sake of revenge but to cut short similar attacks in future and at the same time to be a factor for the spread of the Cause in that City.
“The Bahá’ís of Avashiq hold their meetings regularly, enjoying the esteem of their fellow men. The government opened a primary school for their children, who constitute the majority of the school children. It happened that at the end of summer, 1934, at the opening of the school session, that the teacher appointed for the school was a backward and intolerant man. He began to sow the seed of discrimination and enmity among the pupils, by speaking in lesson hours very slightingly and scornfully of the Bahá’í pupils, deprecating the Faith of their parents. The Muslim pupils began to maltreat their fellow Bahá’í children, and the matter reached such a point that the conflict and friction influenced the parents of the children, with the result that the Bahá’í boys were compelled to discontinue their lessons. On the directions of the National Spiritual Assembly, the Bahá’ís of Avashiq submitted a petition to the Minister of Education. The teacher was reprimanded severely, a fine was imposed upon him, and he was transferred to a remote place as a punishment for his harsh treatment and misbehavior. The government then appointed two teachers who fulfilled their function with a sense of duty and impartiality.”
The Bahá’ís of Shanghai during the past two years have established a library in a room taken at the Chinese Y. M. C. A., and have begun planning for the translation of more Bahá’í literature in Chinese.
In Japan, during the same period, Miss Agnes Alexander has succeeded in placing a great deal of Bahá’í publicity in The Japan Times, a Japanese owned daily of Tokyo published in English. Thanks to this medium, the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh have come to the attention of a new and wider circle. Miss Alexander likewise found it possible to arrange for the publication of an article on the House of Worship at Wilmette in a Buddhist daily paper, the translation having been made by the editors.
From Miss Alexander’s report the following excerpts convey interesting details.
“As Mr. Torii is an Esperantist, the way opened for me to speak on the Cause to the Esperanto group of Kyoto, and also to a group of blind Esperantists, teachers from schools for the blind in different parts of Japan, who had gathered in Kyoto for a Summer School session. A Braille Weekly newspaper of Osaka also published an article about the Bahá’í Temple, which was headed, ‘Miss Alexander a Great Friend of the Blind in Japan.’ A friend of Mr. Torii’s, who could read printing only letter by letter with the aid of a round crystal, and who had in this way copied an English dictionary into Braille, the work of many years, eagerly received the Bahá’í teachings. It was with delight he read the English Braille edition of Esslemont’s ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,’ of which there is one copy in Japan. Also, through the cooperation of Mr. and Mrs. Torii, I was enabled to place an article explaining the Bahá’í teachings with the Osaka daily paper, which is the second largest daily in Japan. In the September 28, 1935, edition of the paper this appeared under the title, which translated reads, ‘Bahá’í Religion Born from the World’s Restlessness.’ Both the pictures of the Bahá’í Temple and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá appeared with this article.”
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
(From the Annual Report of the National Spiritual Assembly, 1934-1935)
TO the Delegates, Twenty-Seventh Annual Convention. Beloved Bahá’í friends:
[Page 80]
The spiritual
character and controlling
principle of the Bahá’í year now brought
to a close were established for us by Shoghi
Effendi in these words dated September 16,
1934:
“The situation in Írán which is growing from bad to worse, the necessary measures which should be taken to insure the uninterrupted completion of the clerestory section of the Temple, the adoption of such measures as will stimulate the teaching campaign in America, the exercise of the utmost vigilance lest the authorities of Soviet Russia inflict any injury upon Bahá’í lives and institutions, the extension of any support that may be required to safeguard the interests of the Cause at its most vital and international center to ward off the malicious attacks of enemies from both within and without—these are the outstanding issues which demand the sustained and concentrated attention of every believer.”
This statement of outstanding issues, more definitely and more vigorously than in any previous communication from the Guardian, has served to summon each and every loyal Bahá’í to arise above undue concern with local and even national matters and assume his duties and responsibilities as citizen in that World Order of Bahá’u’lláh to establish which the Divine Will has revealed itself to mankind. Now in the realm of action the Bahá’ís have the supreme privilege of receiving guidance and inspiration from one central point, even as since the Announcement of the Báb the believers have had one central point in the realm of the soul.
In its fulness of meaning, in its call for positive action, the statement cannot be limited to any single period of time. Rather may we perceive in it the beginning of an era of greater maturity, larger responsibility, as the followers of Bahá’u’lláh unite in resistance to the forces of the world.
In preparation for this responsibility, the Guardian has conducted us through two preliminary phases of development since the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The first phase was that of learning the principles of the administrative order. The second phase was that of learning the principles of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, a phase marked by the successive “World Order” letters which began in February, 1929. The third phase, now beginning, is the application of this knowledge to important problems—problems which relate the Cause to society as a whole, and not merely those minor problems of our own Bahá’í relationships which have engaged our attention and almost exhausted our powers in previous years.
The thoughtful believer will not fail to pursue this analysis until he can perceive the underlying factors in the progress of the Faith as a whole. What has happened during this Bahá’í year, in brief, is that an entirely new emphasis has been given all Bahá’í thought and action, identically the same emphasis which life lays upon the individual on that day when childhood and youth, with their preoccupations with self, first begin to realize the tasks which usher in the time of maturity. What we have learned since 1921, and what we have established as our attitude toward the Cause and toward life, are now undergoing supreme test until it has been proved that individually and collectively we are worthy to uphold the true and highest interests of a Divine Faith.
Nor will it be overlooked, as we adopt this larger perspective, that the Guardian issued his first communication on the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh about six months before the world’s economic order underwent so fatal a collapse in the autumn of 1929. The germ of the new order became apparent to Bahá’ís before the world received its first warning that the old order could not longer endure. These Providential matters are surely our first and deepest concern, since only as we grasp them can we adjust ourselves to that irresistible motion of progress which is the sign of the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.
One word more on this most thrilling
and vital of Bahá’í topics. In the
communication received just before the Annual
Convention of 1934, published as
“The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,”
Shoghi Effendi brought together in
one perfect unity all
those aspects of the Revelation which we, in
our human limitations, had been considering
[Page 81]
as separate realities:
the Station of Manifestations, the
mysterious Mission of the
Center of the Covenant, the full
significance of His Will and Testament, and the
nature of that Order which the Testament
bequeaths to the friends. In a
communication so comprehensive, so
organic, so unified
in its wholeness and so perfected in its parts,
we may now realize that Shoghi Effendi
marked definitely for us an ending of our
education in details of Bahá’í service, and a
beginning of our responsibility in
demonstrating our faith and our unity to our
fellow men.
Indeed, the successive steps which Shoghi Effendi has taken to train, to instruct and to discipline the Bahá’í community are all paralleled by a swift continuance of that process of disintegration in human society which has become the more apparent as efforts to attain peace and stability have successively failed. Fourteen years ago the Bahá’í community was still as a child in the household of civilization, apparently bearing no responsibility for the fate of that household, and therefore concerned only with the joys and sorrows of the child’s own growth, the dreams of its own future. Today, with the household in dire confusion and distress, the youth born of the new age is called upon to prove his birthright and demonstrate his capacity to achieve eternal peace, his elders having failed.
By comparison with that standard of action, every local or personal issue assumes only a relative importance. Such issues can no longer entirely surround and engulf us at the expense of the world vision which the Guardian has given us this year. Larger than the individual is the local community; larger than the local community is the national communty; larger still than any national community is the World Order which now claims not merely our passive acceptance and belief but a devotion and consecration which a collapsing society will test with fire.
Major Events
Without the perspective of time it is impossible to determine precisely which events of a Bahá’í year have major importance. One may, nevertheless, without finality, refer to certain events as representing occurrences or trends meriting special attention.
1. As has been reported to the friends, the Guardian has clarified the problem of how to present the Will and Testament to new believers. In accordance with his instructions, a new edition of the Testament has been prepared and published which, until further instructions are given, includes the text to be explained to and accepted by those who apply for enrollment as Bahá’ís. The supplementary excerpts which precede and follow the selections from the Testament are in themselves the most perfect of explanations. The edition consisting of the complete text is now almost exhausted, but the National Spiritual Assembly has recorded its responsibility in continuing to supply at least one complete text to each newly elected Spiritual Assembly.
2. The contract for the completion of the clerestory section of the Temple dome unit, one of the outstanding issues mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, has throughout this year proceeded as rapidly as weather permitted. Despite the economic difficulty which has prevailed, the believers have made notable sacrifices in order to meet the collective obligation, the fulfilment of which will mean that the Dome unit is at last entirely finished.
In the case of future Temple construction, the Guardian has advised that contracts be entered into by the Trustees only when the necessary amount of cash is actually on hand. The Dome unit, however, was undertaken and has been carried on in a spirit of trust that the Guardian’s wishes and instructions would be voluntarily met.
In September and in December, the
difference between income and obligation
compelled the National Spiritual Assembly
to issue an appeal directed to every
American believer lest the work in
its final stages
be temporarily abandoned. All along it has
been felt that the problem was not
economic but spiritual; not a matter of
dollars and cents but one of resolution and
of unified response. For, in its ultimate
significance, the building of the Temple
[Page 82]
is not an end in
itself. It is a vital step in
the training of the Bahá’í community in
the divine art of unity. As such a
tremendous task is achieved, the
power comes to
carry out other collective
missions in service to the
beloved Cause. National
achievement is nothing else
than a stepping stone
to international services.
The important details of this subject will be presented in the Treasurer’s report. At this time it is important to emphasize the fact that this obligation is not yet fully discharged.
3. The passing of the venerable, the beloved and revered Dr. Susan I. Moody in the field of her life work at Ṭihrán furnishes the Bahá’í world one more example of heroism and consecration a later generation of believers may well take to heart. How fruitful her life was! What noble institutions she developed, what a monument she reared in the lives of youth of Írán! Even the enemies of the Cause could not withhold their admiration and their recognition of her sincerity! Even officialdom refrained from destructive measures until her stalwart Bahá’í presence had been removed from the scene! How brief will be that restless triumph, seizing its opportunity so blindly from the folded hands of death, ignorant of that Kingdom to which the faithful believer goes, that Kingdom whence comes the Will that governs the world!
4. In no year of which we have record have there been so many enrollments of new believers as during the year now closed. Both in number of the new members added to existing communities, and in number of groups prepared for election of a Spiritual Assembly for the first time, this present period has been one of remarkable growth. From Milwaukee came the news that more than sixty believers had been enrolled in one meeting; from Chicago, from New York and from many other communities reports of new enrollments surpass the announcements made in previous years. Our teaching of the Cause, reinforced by the mysterious power of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, made more effective by our knowledge of the nature of the Bahá’í community, has received a vast stimulus, inaugurating a movement forward surely destined to acquire greater emphasis in every successive year. The details of this great achievement will be reported by the Teaching Committee, so that representatives from all local communities may return home inspired to work for renewed effort, and instructed to convey useful plans which have brought success in other cities.
Gratitude, however, must be expressed to all those teachers who during the year have answered the call to service and traveled to so many cities upholding the banner of the Faith. This circulation of thought and devotion from city to city, in the person of the teachers who are able to travel, is a great stimulus to the Bahá’í communities themselves as well as to the non—believers thereby attracted. But above all the firm unity of the local communities affords and will always afford the only enduring foundation for the new era of vitality and spiritual zeal. The greatest teacher in the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh is not a person but a community not only united together on the plane of personality but imbued with conviction that its essential purpose is to open the doors to the new souls.
Communications from the Guardian
The first communication from the Guardian was the cablegram sent in reply to the message cabled him by, the Twenty-Sixth Annual Convention. That cablegram, received after the Convention had closed, was reported in a general letter dated June 4, 1934 and also in the Convention Number of Bahá’í News: “American believers’ inspired leadership steadily unfolding to Bahá’ís world over potentialities majestic edifice heralding formative period Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Their unerring vision conceived its matchless design. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own hands laid its cornerstone. Their dynamic faith reared its structure. Their sustained self-sacrifice crowned it with immortal glory. May flame their unconquerable enthusiasm continue glowing in their hearts till its naked frame is enveloped in its shining mantle.”
Is not this message directed also to this Convention, since the task is yet unfinished?
In Bahá’í News of July, 1934, were
[Page 83]
published excerpts from
letters dated May 10, May 19, June 11,
1934, and cablegram received on May 18.
The following subjects were treated:
1. As soon as the clerestory section of the Temple is completed, no new contract to be made for the next unit until the entire sum required for the contract has already been collected.
2. The scope of local news letters.
3. News of the successful negotiations with the Palestine authorities concerning the exemption from taxation of the area surrounding the Shrines, tantamount to a recognition of the sacredness of the Shrines and the significance of the international center of the Faith.
4. Appreciation of the American Bahá’ís’ cooperation in preventing that area from falling into the hands of non-Bahá’ís.
S. The relation of local Assemblies to the National Spiritual Assembly.
6. Affirmation of the supreme and undivided authority of the N. S. A. and its moral responsibility if it allows any body or institution within its jurisdiction to abuse its privileges or to decline in the exercise of its rights and privileges.
7. Approval of instruction to disregard anonymous communications.
September Bahá’í News carried the Guardian’s explanation of passages in “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Excerpts from letters dated September 9, 16, 25 and 30, were published in November on the following subjects:
1. The hope that through self-sacrifice further steps will be taken to safeguard the entire area surrounding the Shrines.
2. Explanation of the general principle that no administrative body under the jurisdiction of the N. S. A. has authority to receive complaints against the Assembly, but that matters which are unsatisfactory are to be referred to the Guardian.
3. The list of “outstanding issues” already mentioned in this Report.
4. Renewed instruction that photographs of the Guardian are not to be circulated.
5. Approval of statement concerning the Convention with correction of view that its sessions are joint meetings with the N. S. A.
6. Request for English translations of Bahá’í News Letters issued by the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria.
7. Emphasis upon the necessity of maintaining the flow of contributions to the Temple, and the importance of the National Fund as the indispensable medium for the growth and expansion of the Cause. Contributions to this fund constitute a way by which each believer can test the measure and character of his faith.
8. The Guardian’s inability to continue for the present his own contribution to the Temple Fund, in view of the severe restrictions imposed upon the Cause in Írán and the increase in the international expenses. In connection with this subject it is necessary to point out that the Guardian has for years been contributing as much to the Cause in America as all the American believers, through the National Fund at least, are together contributing to the development of the Bahá’í World Center. Difficult though it still is, apparently, to maintain the national budget, including Temple construction, must we not become, as the American Bahá’í community, more deeply conscious of our collective responsibility to the Guardian's International Fund? Must we not begin to realize that a monthly contribution worthy of our combined resources should constitute the first and not the last obligation upon our national Bahá’í budget? Without the Guardian’s capacity to function materially as well as spiritually, are we not fatally limiting the development of the Cause at its very Center? Just as no local community can flourish if the National Fund be deprived of power to serve, so no national community in this unified Cause can flourish if the International Fund at the disposal of the Guardian is deprived of power. The matter is mentioned here only for deep and prayerful consideration, that a new resolve may be born and develop impetus until this omission shall for the future be overcome.
Expression of the Guardian’s gratitude that continuance of Temple construction was assured.
The January, 1935, number of Bahá’í News contained excerpts from the Guardian’s letters on the following subjects:
[Page 84]
1. Explanation of further
questions raised concerning the meaning
of passages in “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.”
2. The use of Bahá’í ringstones and burial stones left to the discretion of the believers pending the publication of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
3. The National Assemblies of Egypt, ‘Iráq and Írán are adopting the text of the American Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, at the Guardian’s request, the N. S. A. of India and Burma having already taken this step.
4. Approval of plan to unite the two magazines.
5. Explanation of a passage on page 88 of "Bahá’í Administration” referring to the date when Oriental Bahá’ís celebrated the Declaration of the Báb in 1925.
6. Explanation that when a Memorial is constructed in the pine grove at West Englewood to commemorate ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to America, the Memorial should take the form of a monument and not of a building. This explanation reminds us of the Guardian’s previous instruction, that on account of the importance of the Unity Feast which the Master held on that spot, the sole Memorial commemorating His American visit is to be constructed there. The Guardian’s views in this matter would seem to answer a question raised locally from time to time in various cities, namely, whether the local Spiritual Assembly should not take steps to acquire permanently some house which had been blessed by the Master’s Holy Presence.
At this point in the Report might be inserted reference to the fact that during March, 1935, Roy C. Wilhelm executed an Indenture of Trust under which the Evergreen Cabin property, and the two lots in the pine grove where the Unity Feast was celebrated in 1912, were transferred to the Cause through nine trustees in a manner similar to that under which the Temple and Green Acre properties are now administered. The place so signally blessed by the Master thus comes perpetually under Bahá’í ownership and control by this generous gift.
7. Approval of letter published in November Bahá’í News by the N. S. A. on the general subject of the relation of believers to their local, national and international Bahá’í institutions.
8. The Guardian’s abiding appreciation and gratitude for the manner in which the American believers rose to meet the emergency caused by lack of funds for Temple construction.
9. His heart—felt condolences and loving sympathy for the loss sustained in the passing away of Dr. Moody.
10. These significant words in a letter dated December 1: “Despite the perils and uncertainties with which their country is now beset, and in the face of the financial reverses they have suffered and the unfortunate controversies that have perplexed and agitated them, they have forged ahead and are fast approaching the termination of the first stage in the ornamentation of their consecrated Edifice. Undaunted by the magnitude of this colossal enterprise, undismayed by the smallness of their numbers, the scantiness of their resources and the scorn of their enemies, they have carried triumphantly the banner of Bahá’u’lláh and brought to a successful issue the first stage in the formative period of His Faith.”
Special attention is called to the fact that the Guardian, in this passage, considers the dome and clerestory sections one unit—a matter of very great importance in the light of the misunderstanding which has prevailed here and there that the dome alone was the “unit” which the Guardian wished completed and that consequently the clerestory section was a task arbitrarily added by the National Assembly.
Observe also that Shoghi Effendi gives new and more striking emphasis to the completion of the clerestory section of the dome unit by stating that its successful issue terminates the first stage in the formative era of the Faith.
These subjects explained by the Guardian in a letter dated January 27 were reported in Bahá’í News of March, 1935.
1. The figures of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. are not to appear as characters in dramatic works written by believers.
2. Explanation of the Bahá’í teaching on
[Page 85]
marriage, especially in relation
to interracial marriage.
Other passages from the Guardian’s letters quoted in March were:
1. An important reference to the teachings on economics taken from a letter dated December 20, 1931.
2. The importance of Bahá’í Summer Schools, from a letter to Central States Summer School Committee, dated November 6, 1934.
Since the April, 1935 issue of the News Letter was devoted to Annual Committee Reports, except for a few news items carried over in type from the previous number in which space was lacking, a number of excerpts in recent letters have not yet been published, and these will be given in full at this time:
1. In comment on the ruling that members of local Spiritual Assemblies must be able to attend meetings: “He believes that your Assembly was well-advised in adopting such a ruling. For it is only too obvious that unless a member can attend regularly the meetings of his local Assembly, it would be impossible for him to discharge the duties incumbent upon him, and to fulfil his responsibilities as a representative of the community. Membership in a local Spiritual Assembly carries with it, indeed, the obligation and capacity to remain in close touch with local Bahá’í activities, and ability to attend regularly the sessions of the Assembly.” (Haifa, January 27, 1935.)
2. In a letter written to the Spiritual Assembly of New York in acknowledgment of a letter reporting the local Assembly’s decision to uphold fully and without exception the general instruction concerning Oriental believers who lack proper credentials: “In this connection, the Guardian wishes to draw once more your attention to the all-importance of his instructions to the Western believers regarding association with Orientals. The friends in the West must be wide awake, and be extremely cautious when dealing with Easterners, particularly with those who in the name of the Cause desire to satisfy their own desires and ambitions. The first step which they should take in protecting themselves against such mischief—makers is to insist that they should obtain proper credentials from the Assembly of the locality in which they live. This measure, he feels, is absolutely essential and there can be no exception whatever to it.” (Haifa, January 4, 1935.)
3. The cablegram received March 30, 1935, and reported to the friends in a general letter sent to local Assemblies on April 3: “Contract for purchase and transfer to Palestine Branch American Assembly (of the) Dumit property situated (at the) center (of) area dedicated to Shrines on Mt. Carmel (has been) signed. Four year litigation involving Bahá’í world’s petitions (to) Palestine High Commissioner abandoned. Owners require 4,000 pounds. Half (this) sum (is) available. Will American believers unitedly contribute 1,000 pounds before end of May and remaining 1,000 pounds within nine months. Am compelled appeal entire body American community subordinate national interests of Faith to its urgent paramount requirements at its World Center.”
At the time this Report is in preparation, no further information and no result of that appeal is available. It will be for the Treasurer to convey the result in his Financial Report. The impressive fact to be noted is the Providential manner in which, at every stage in the development of Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith, events are provided and tasks are allotted to the believers which prepare them for the new step. The building of the Temple was the divine plan for creating a national Bahá’í community out of the local communities and factional groups existing years ago, and now we are given compelling needs at the World Center in order to create a world Bahá’í community out of the national communities which have recently been established. Our collective response to all such successive emergency constitutes our training and discipline for service in a divine World Order. The Cause progresses by heroic endeavor and sacrifice and for the believers there can be no stay on the upward march.
4. There is one other recent communication from the Guardian, but reference to it will be deferred to the conclusion of this Report.
Secondary Administrative Developments
From time to time problems and situations are reported by local Spiritual Assemblies which call for some general ruling. The rulings of this character made by the National Assembly during the past year will now be reviewed.
Before doing so, however, it seems important to call attention to the fact that the National Spiritual Assembly after the 1934 Convention adopted a new and better method of keeping all its members informed throughout the interval between the meetings. Once a week each member receives a summary of all communications which have arrived at the National Office, and each item in the summary is numbered for identification. Up to April 19, 1935 there had been 1,124 items, but this figure does not represent the total amount of correspondence because an effort is made to use the same key number throughout all the correspondence pertaining to the same matter. Hitherto the members were only informed of special matters, the general correspondence being itemized only once a month in the form of an agenda for each meeting. This new method has been found to be exceedingly helpful.
The general rulings adopted during the year are as follows:
1. That each local Assembly, in dealing with the matter of members of the community who have joined non-Bahá’í organizations which might be political or even radical in character, is in duty bound to point out to the community the Guardian’s instructions as published in Bahá’í News of August, 1933.
2. Fresh emphasis was recorded for the principle under which a traveling teacher is not only subject to the jurisdiction of the local Assembly in each city, but is expected to be concerned only with teaching activities and not intervene in local problems unless specifically requested by the Assembly to assist in some situation.
3. That the children of believers can attend the Nineteen Day Feasts and other Bahá’í meetings, but when they reach the age of sixteen years the local Assembly should request a declaration of their interest in the Cause and their intention to become voting members when they reach the age of twenty-one; and that other young people, not children of believers, can attend Nineteen Day Feasts and other Bahá’í meetings after reaching the age of sixteen years by making a similar declaration to the local Assembly.
4. The functions of the Reviewing and Editorial Committee were defined, as reported in Bahá’í News of July, 1934.
5. That excerpts from letters written by the Guardian to individual believers will not hereafter be published.
6. National Committees which have occasion to use a printed letterhead were requested to consult the National Assembly in order to use the proper form.
7. That until further notice the annual meeting called on April 21 for the election of the local Spiritual Assembly is to be conducted by the officers of the outgoing Assembly and not by officers elected by those present at this meeting.
8. In the election of the National and local Assemblies, when the result of the ballot is that eight members are elected but two or more believers are tied for the ninth membership, the second ballot taken to eliminate the tie vote must be limited to voting for one of the two or more names who received a tie vote for the ninth place.
9. The friends were reminded that the Guardian’s original instructions concerning letters written to him by local Assemblies and National Committees were that such letters were to be sent him through the National Spiritual Assembly.
10. Local Assemblies which have no permanent headquarters were requested to take a Post Office box which can be used as a permanent address for Bahá’í correspondence.
11. Local Assemblies were advised to engage expert legal assistance in adapting the local By-Laws to the Religious Statutes of their particular State; and meanwhile that it is advisable and necessary for all local Assemblies without exception to abide by the set of By-Laws approved by the Guardian.
12. Recommended that all local Assemblies
[Page 87]
if possible arrange to
have a Bahai address listed in the local
telephone directory.
13. General reports from local Assemblies are to be sent directly to the N. S. A. but reports confined to teaching activities are to be sent to the Teaching Committee. Inter-Assembly Committees and conferences have no executive capacity and therefore do not receive reports nor transact business.
14. When a local Assembly wishes to secure the services of any teacher from another city it is requested to consult the National Teaching Committee. That Committee, in turn, is requested to recommend only such teachers as conform to the following qualifications: thorough knowledge of the Teachings; complete loyalty to the Administrative Order as outlined in the Guardian’s general letters including the World Order communications; rigorous obedience to the principle that teachers are not to intervene in any local problem, and true sincerity and severance.
15. That local news letters should be distributed only to members of the local community, but copies sent to the Guardian, the National Assembly and to other National Assemblies for their information.
16. That local Assemblies, in transmitting to the N. S. A. reports and recommendations from the community, should be not merely a passive medium used by believers to bring matters to the attention of the N. S. A. but should make their own independent study of such recommendations and forward them with a statement of their own attitude and comment.
17. Interpretations of the By-Law on residential qualification of voting believers: first, that when a member or officer of a local Spiritual Assembly cannot function for an indefinite period, and there is no certainty of return to service, the Assembly should recognize the vacancy and arrange a meeting of the community to elect a new member; and second, that the requirements of residence as one of the qualifications of a voting believer should be based upon definite proof of capacity to associate with the Bahá’í community.
18. That hereafter the annual voting list furnished by each local Assembly should be accompanied by a separate list of all believers transferred to and from the Assembly.
19. That local Assemblies are to instruct new believers in the meaning of the new compilation of excerpts from the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. and furthermore, that local Assemblies are to be responsible for providing new believers with copies.
The above rulings have been published in Bahá’í News during the year, but those following have not yet been published.
20. That local Assemblies are requested to send to the N. S. A. a copy of all important notices covering policies, rules or regulations as well as important announcements having to do with elections and organization under Bahá’í administration, which they may issue to their communities from time to time.
21. That the Committees in charge of the three Summer School programs are, after this season, to send their programs and arrangements to the National Assembly, which body will publish them in some uniform style.
22. That the collective activities of Bahá’ís, with which the name Bahá’í is associated, ought not to be extended to activities of non-Bahá’ís which cannot be controlled by the believers through their institutions and under the recognized principles of Bahá’í administration; and further that the public solicitation of funds under Bahá’í auspices, irrespective of the worthiness of the object, may give a wrong impression of the nature of the Cause. When believers wish to show a special respect to any non-believer or non-Bahá’í organization, they should do so as individuals without involving the name of the Cause.
23. In view of the apparent tendency of
certain teachers to designate themselves as
“International” Bahá’í teachers or lecturers,
it has been voted to publish in Bahá’í News
a brief statement discouraging the
use of the descriptive term “International”
in connection with Bahá’í service, on
account of the fact that the word
“International” with reference to the Cause is
[Page 88]
properly confined to certain
specific institutions such as the
Guardianship and the
Universal House of Justice, and to the
activities carried on in and through these
bodies.
General Statements
In addition to specific rulings required for definite situations, the National Assembly endeavors also to throw some light on more general trends and developments noted from time to time in its correspondence and other contacts with the national community.
During the year, statements have been published on the following subjects:
1. Status of the National Bahá’í Fund.
2. Suggestions on the subject of teaching.
3. The institution of the Spiritual Assembly.
4. The new attitudes and principles of action which the Guardian has established in the World Order communications.
5. The nature of the Nineteen Day Feast.
6. Preparation of new believers for membership in the Bahá’í community.
7. Important events affecting the Faith in Írán.
8. Plans for new Bahá’í Magazine.
9. The annual Bahá’í Convention.
10. Several reports on recommendations made by the last Convention.
General Letters
At the beginning of the year the National Spiritual Assembly planned as far as possible to publish its general letters in Bahá’í News so that they could be shared by the entire community. In addition, letters were sent to local Assemblies on the following dates: June 4, September 5, September 18 (two letters), October 9, November 1, November 16, December 1, February 4, February 14, March 21 and April 3—a total of twelve communications.
A Summary of Events
Without attempting to evaluate their relative importance, it will be well to record some of the incidents and events which have happened since the last Convention. The complete history of the Cause during the year can only be followed by considering the detailed reports of National Committees, and in addition the records of the sixty local Assemblies and the unorganized groups.
1. Through generous action of certain believers, an obligation inherited by the Green Acre Trustees from the Green Acre Fellowship in the amount of $10,000 payable on a bond issue has been cancelled by owners of bonds. A loan of $2,000 to the National Assembly several years ago to assist in financing the printing of The Dawn-Breakers has likewise been cancelled by the lender. The unpaid note of $7,500 held by the bank for loan made in March, 1934, to the N. S. A. for the Temple Trustees has been met by a special gift.
2. The literature has been enriched by several new works, including The Promise of All Ages, Security for a Failing World, Mysticism and the Bahá’í Revelation, the Economics Compilation, The Will and Testament, The Practise of the Presence of God, Bahá’í News Index, and the leaflet, World Religion.
3. A beautiful design was made by Myron Potter for the Memorial to Keith at Iṣfahán, and working drawings sent to the Assembly in that city, but due to the restrictions imposed upon Bahá’í activities in Írán we do not know what the Iṣfahán Assembly has been able to do.
4. The house at Malden, Mass., where the Master visited, has been transferred by the Guardian to Trustees for the benefit of the N. S. A.
5. Final details are being worked out with John and Louise Bosch for the transfer of property at Geyserville used for the Summer School, to Bahá’í trustees.
6. The three Summer Schools have progressed steadily, and by now are recognized in their true light, as the beginning of the divine Education given humanity by Bahá’u’lláh.
7. The Symbol of the Greatest Name has been legally protected in the United States and steps are being taken to acquire similar protection in Canada.
8. References to the Cause by
[Page 89]
non-Bahá’ís in newspapers,
books and magazines have considerably increased.
9. The Race Amity Committee, in its article on “The Divine Call to Race Amity” published in Bahá’ís News for March, 1935, has made available to all the American believers a new and valuable source of information and spiritual impetus for successful service in that field.
10. The public bulletin entitled “A New World Order” has been sent to a special list of people of capacity at intervals of every other month, adding its weight to all other teaching efforts.
11. Many, but not all of the annual Committee Reports prepared last year have been published in successive issues of Bahá’ís News, affording a background of information about the progress of activities along national lines.
12. Two new Spiritual Assemblies were established on April 21, 1934—Lima, Ohio, and South Bend, Indiana, while a Spiritual Assembly was re-established at Geneva, New York.
13. A list of Bahá’í young people between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one is maintained at the National Office, and the friends are requested to assist in keeping this list complete.
14. The National Spiritual Assembly has recorded its thanks and appreciation for the valuable services rendered by A. F. Matthisen in acting as accountant and preparing the monthly and annual Financial Reports.
15. A special committee has been giving much time and thought to the preparation of a form of Bahá’í parliamentary procedure for use by local Assemblies in conducting their own meetings and also the Nineteen Day Feasts, for use by the Convention, and also a procedure for the N. S. A. itself. Action has not been taken on this matter at the date of the writing of this Report, but the matter is mentioned because the request for such procedures was one of the important recommendations at the 1934 Convention. It is hoped that the final drafts can all be published, so that every believer can become familiar with the methods for the conduct of Bahá’í deliberation.
16. The Bahá’í Magazine has been issued in a new form, the title and general character of which reflect the Guardian’s own teaching method as developed in his general letter entitled "The Goal of a New World Order.”
17. The National Assembly is endeavoring to work out a settlement with the executor of the estate of Mrs. Agnes Parsons, who wrote her intention of donating property at Dublin, N. H., to the Cause, but did not provide for this intention in her will along the lines of her personal letter. It seems advisable for believers who wish to leave bequests to the Cause to make certain that the necessary legal steps have been taken.
18. A Memorial Meeting to commemorate the passing of Dr. Moody was held in Foundation Hall, Bahá’í House of Worship, on Sunday, November 25.
19. A statement on the Cause is now included annually in the International Year Book published by Funk & Wagnalls, New York.
20. A new series of inexpensive pamphlets is now under way, for general use in presenting the Cause to the public. The text was prepared under the direction of the Free Literature Committee, and as each article is approved by the Reviewing Committee it will be published in World Order and then reprinted by the Publishing Committee from the magazine types, which makes a large saving in cost. The first pamphlet, on Bahá’í Education, by Stanwood Cobb, is now on the press. The second will appear next month, on The Most Great Peace, by Marion Holley. The series will eventually include some six or more titles, and will surely prove very valuable to local Assemblies and individual teachers.
21. The suffering of the Bahá’ís of Írán has been before the National Assembly unceasingly for two years. During this period, under the Guardian’s direction, every possible effort has been made to exert influence for their relief. The situation has now passed into what appears to be a crucial stage, and we must pray to Bahá’u’lláh that so grievous a blow at His Cause shall Providentially be prevented from carrying out the full destructiveness of its intention.
[Page 90]
The matter has been
reported as fully as
the Assembly has been permitted to make
it known among the friends. It is hoped
that this Convention, among other actions,
may unite in heart-felt prayer on behalf of
our fellow Bahá’ís in that country.
22. Let us be grateful for the remarkable services being rendered by the American believers who travel in other lands—Martha Root, Louise Gregory, Mountfort Mills, Louise Drake Wright, Dr. Howard L. and Maḍíyyih Nabil Marzieh Carpenter, Loulie Mathews, Leonora Holsapple, Marjorie Morten, Julia Goldman, Charles and Helen Bishop, Mr. and Mrs. Greeven, Mark Tobey, Nellie S. French, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Romer, Amelia Collins, Sylvia Matteson, Emogene Hoagg. On Sunday, April 14, the press carried the news that Mr. Romer had passed on at London—a great loss to the Cause.
A New Annual Conference
After careful consideration of some of the needs of the Cause, the National Spiritual Assembly has recently recorded its view that hereafter each successive N. S. A. should arrange a three-day joint session for the special purpose of conferences with representatives of all local Assemblies who can be present.
The purpose of this plan is to go more deeply into the opportunities and problems faced by all local Assemblies in this formative period, and at the same time enable the National Assembly to acquire a more intimate picture of conditions than is possible by correspondence. The thought is that such a conference could be held during the fall or early winter, at some central point like the Foundation Hall of the Temple, or Chicago, and each Assembly invited to send a representative or at least some suggestions for the agenda. The meetings would doubtless be helpful to all, and grapple with real problems and opportunities which arise on all sides. It is confidently hoped that the plan when carried out will have important results for the Cause.
Conclusion
In conclusion the important announcement is made that the Guardian has given the friends a wonderful blessing in the form of new translations of excerpts from Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh. Within the last few days three different manuscripts have been received from Haifa, and with them a letter stating that these are to be published with the title “Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.” It would be presumptuous to attempt to describe their power, their beauty, their vitalizing spirit. Suffice it to remark that Shoghi Effendi, having renewed the Cause by instructing us in the principles of administrative order, now calls us to a spiritual renewal in our knowledge of the creative Utterance of Bahá’u’lláh.
Let us consider this one passage included in the Guardian’s translations:
“The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Day—Spring of His Revelation and the fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whose is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration.”
- Faithfully yours,
- National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.
His Imperial Majesty Rezá Sháh Pahlaví
Teherán, Persia.
Your Majesty:
In more than seventy cities of the United
States and Canada there are associations of
people who feel a special interest in and
a high and sincere regard for your Majesty’s
enlightened régime and for the progress
[Page 91]
of the Persian people.
These Americans do not feel that Persia
is a distant country,
having at present few commercial relations
or public ties with these nations of the
West, but on the contrary they feel that
Persia is a second Fatherland, the source and
origin of a Faith they hold dearer than life
itself. By reason of that Faith they exalt
the destiny of Your Majesty’s nation and
are assured that Persia shall, in this new
age, become the object of a veneration and
a love as the Holy Land whence first came
forth the divine Message of Universal Peace.
With this deep and sincere respect for Persia, Your Majesty is assured that no political and no selfish commercial motives are combined. As the followers of Muḥammad all through the ages have made spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca, in Arabia, and as the followers of Christ have in the same manner thronged to Palestine, so the followers of Bahá’u’lláh look upon Persia as the Center toward which their gratitude and their hopes must ever turn. Even though at present other nations possess a larger measure of material wealth and political power, nevertheless the followers of Bahá’u’lláh feel perfect assurance that Persia shall, in the not distant future, attain a true pre-eminence in the hearts and minds of all civilized people, since the development of peoples and nations is subject to the will of God.
It is in the name and on behalf of all these American people who are so devoted to the Persian nation that the National Spiritual Assembly now addresses to Your Majesty this respectful petition, appealing to Your Majesty’s justice in a matter that deeply moves our hearts and affects our religious Faith.
To state the matter in its most essential form, it consists of the sacred privilege of religious worship which has been denied by certain government officials to the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Persia, although the principle of religious freedom is granted in the national Constitution and represents what we are convinced is Your Majesty’s established policy and intention for the welfare and development of the entire realm. How far this denial and suppression have proceeded beyond Your Majesty’s own published attitude is made clear by recital of the following facts:
First, Bahá’í books and even letters sent by the American believers to their fellow-believers in Persia are confiscated by the Persian Postal Department.
Second, Bahá’í books printed in Persia are seized and destroyed by Postal, Police or other officials.
Third, the Tarbiat School for girls in Teheran, and Bahá’í Schools in the cities of Kashan, Qazvin and Sultanabad have been closed by order of the Ministry of Education.
Fourth, in a number of leading cities, including Qazvin and Kirmanshah, public orders have been issued prohibiting Bahá’í gatherings, closing Bahá’í meeting places and suspending Bahá’í activities. Likewise in these cities the orders even deny to Bahá’ís the right of burial in Bahá’í cemeteries.
Fifth, the Bahá’ís of Teheran are compelled under penalty of imprisonment to register as Moslems in their identity papers.
Sixth, the Moslem clergy, elated by the opportunity to arouse public prejudice against the Bahá’ís, are inciting the population to injure and oppress the innocent followers of Bahá’u’lláh.
Seventh, the Bahá’ís of Teheran have made effort to present a petition to Your Majesty, but their petition has been undelivered and its pleas rejected.
Therefore we, Your Majesty, relying wholly upon Your Majesty’s justice and upon the spiritual nature of the Faith we hold in common with the Bahá’ís of Persia and other lands, respectfully seek this opportunity to prove that Your Majesty’s Bahá’í subjects are loyal and innocent, and that they are made victims of a religious fanaticism which developed many years ago before the great blessing of religious freedom was given to Persia in Your Majesty’s noble constitutional reform.
The proof we desire to submit is not based upon mere words but upon deeds.
Reference is accordingly made to the
remarkable services rendered to Persia by that
venerable and loved Dr. Susan Moody, who
so recently died in the city of Teheran.
From the year 1909 even to her last hour,
[Page 92]
this American Bahá’í had
no other thought
than that of the development of the
Tarbiat School for Girls in Your Majesty’s
capital city. Through her love for Persia,
inspired by her devotion to Bahá’u’lláh, Dr.
Moody was given the great historical
privilege of establishing the first educational
institution for girls in that land. Her
achievement has become known and deeply
admired throughout the civilized world,
and her firm intention of dying and being
buried in Persia, her chosen field of service,
was acclaimed in articles published by
newspapers of Teheran following her death. We
cannot believe that Your Majesty wishes the
heavy hand of prejudice, and the blind
venom of clerical hatred and jealousy, to
destroy what so many years of pure
intention and sacrifice created for the sake of
Persian girls, whose education the Moslem
clergy itself has never attempted nor even
desired. It is surely the characteristic of
true civilization to open schools and not to
close them.
Now as for the true attitude of the Persian Bahá’ís toward Your Majesty’s reign and Your Majesty’s government.
The spiritual teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Your Majesty, specifically and positively inculcate in all Bahá’ís the principle of obedience to their civil ruler and government, in whatever country Bahá’ís reside, and complete non-interference in political affairs. No Bahá’í for any reason whatsoever is permitted by his Faith to take part in any political faction or have any association with radical movements. We ask Your Majesty to note this most essential Bahá’í principle, because it can be found in no previous religion. This Bahá’í teaching is no less than the greatest of blessings for the rulers and governments of this age, since no lesson is more clearly taught by history than the evil results of the disorders and rebellions originating in religious prejudice. No such results can ever, in any country, arise from the actions or even thoughts and feelings of the Bahá’ís.
Moreover, the spiritual teachings of Bahá’u’lláh remove the very foundation of that inter—religious strife which throughout history it has been so difficult for civil governments to control, as for example the centuries of dissension which have existed between Christians and Moslems. The followers of Bahá’u’lláh are taught that both Muḥammad and Christ are Prophets and Messengers of God, and that true faith in one requires equal faith in the other. They accept and abide by the Bahá’í teaching that declares an end must come in this new age to all those false religious doctrines, not revealed by the Prophets but advanced by the leaders of church and mosque, which justify in the name of God the present separation and antagonism of the religious sects and creeds. Thus, the Bahá’ís of Christian countries revere and extol Muḥammad, and gladly endure suspicion and scorn from orthodox Christians for the sake of the spiritual unity made possible by the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. Yet the Bahá’í books published in America, which dare to exalt Muḥammad among people who believe that Muḥammad is the enemy of Christ, are banned and forbidden entry in Persia by the leaders of Islám who are themselves unable to prove the Prophethood of Muḥammad to the Christian peoples!
From the point of view of enlightened civilization, Your Majesty, it is desirable to refer to one more important teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, namely, that teaching which forbids the Bahá’ís of all countries ever to allow the development of a priesthood or professional clergy in this worldwide Faith. No spiritual principle could be more acceptable to an enlightened Monarch than this, since it has ever been from the clergy, and not from the people, that those false doctrines have arisen which serve to instigate hatred and enmity where the Prophet himself has taught only friendship and peace.
Your Majesty is assured that the
American Bahá’ís and the Bahá’ís of
Persia possess the same Faith, follow
the same teachings and carry on their
religious services in
the same manner. The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh
is uniform and identical among all the
believers in the forty countries where this
Faith exists today. Therefore if true and
complete reports cannot be obtained in
Persia, on account of the active prejudice so
long fomented by Moslem leaders, we appeal
to Your Majesty and plead that the true
character of our religion be established by
[Page 93]
Your Majesty’s representatives
in America or other countries. For example,
the American government recognizes the Bahá’í
Faith as a new religion, allows the American
believers full freedom to maintain their
Bahá’í institutions and activities, and has
never found any evidence that the religion
of Bahá’u’lláh is a source or cause of
difficulty to the national régime or
to the public order and general welfare.
When the truth is fairly ascertained,
we have complete confidence that Your
Majesty's justice and concern for the
progress of civilization
will cause the Persian Bahá’ís to be saved
from religious persecution and to be given
liberty to maintain their spiritual
institutions without interference,
including those Schools in which
innocent children have received
instruction in the sciences and arts so
necessary to the progress of society, and also
in those religious principles of love and
unity which are even more essential to a
humanity now everywhere in the world
confronted by dangers of disastrous war
and revolution.
What we above all wish to testify, Your Majesty, is that the spiritual teachings of Bahá’u’lláh emphatically deny the false truths on which Communistic doctrines and practices are based, and declare that no sound and enduring justice can be established until the supreme evil of international war has been banished from the earth. The Bahá’ís are convinced that should another World War be precipitated, civilization itself can be destroyed. Therefore, the Bahá’ís in all lands serve the ideals of spiritual fellowship and unity which God has instituted as the sole protection of mankind. The responsible and far-seeing statesman, concerned with the larger issues of public order and progress, can by investigation fully satisfy himself that the Bahá’ís in all countries uphold principles upon which ruler and governments can establish a firm basis for social development, while the religious enemies of the Bahá’ís, seeking special privilege and domination over the minds and hearts of the people, are in fact hoping to restore their former condition of authority and are thereby hostile to all public education and constitutional order. They violently assail the Bahá’ís, then accuse the Bahá’ís of disturbing the peace of the realm. Such has been the method of the cunning hypocrite in all ages, as Muḥammad and Jesus have lamented in their Holy Books.
We therefore express the deepest hope and confidence, Your Majesty, that measures will be taken to relieve Your Majesty’s loyal subjects, the Persian Bahá’ís, who constitute the largest religious minority in Your Majesty’s realm, of the burdens which have been laid upon them of such grievous nature as to carry the stigma and hardship imposed only upon vile criminals and those who secretly plot their country’s overthrow and destruction.
We likewise make appeal, Your Majesty, that the Postal Department be instructed to permit the entry of letters and books sent by the American Bahá’ís to their fellow believers in Persia, and the dispatch of correspondence from the Persian Bahá’ís to us. The noble sacrifice made for Persia by the late Dr. Moody is surely evidence that our intercourse and association with the Persian Bahá’ís has sincere intention and beneficial result. The death of Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, also an American Bahá’í, and her burial at Iṣfahán during 1933, is one more sacred bond uniting the hearts of the followers of Persia’s Prophet, Bahá’u’lláh, in these two lands.
We are, the well wishers of Your Majesty’s nation and people,
- The National Spiritual Assembly of the
- Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.
- ALLEN B. MCDANIEL,
119 Waverly Place New York City, U. S. A.
REPORT PREPARED BY THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA’iS OF ÍRÁN
EARLY in the Bahá’í year 91 (1935 A.D.), the former Central Assembly of Írán, following the Guardian’s instructions sent out a circular letter to all central Local Assemblies of Bahá’í districts throughout the country, containing instructions as to the election of the ninety-five Convention delegates. On the 6th of Riḍván when the first session of the Convention was held in Ṭihrán, eighty-one delegates were present, this number increasing by the second session to eighty-four.
The Convention continued with utter spirituality for eight days, and the delegates felt and showed great happiness, and praised the power of Bahá’u’lláh, so manifest among them. The gathering of these men from remote and mutually isolated communities, their harmony in spite of differences of language and race, their coming together With unequaled love and sincerity to consult over the affairs of the Cause, offered a striking symbol of Bahá’í oneness and human brotherhood. The unity of these sessions drew those present like a magnet and its effect is still a living thing. During the first session the following telegram was sent to the Guardian: “Eighty-one delegates present humbly solicit divine confirmation.” The Guardian wired in reply: “Implore assistance and favor for chosen delegates. (Signed) Shoghi.”
Following a study of the Guardian’s written instructions, reviewing of the related sections of the By-Laws of the National Spiritual Assembly of America and careful discussion, in the fifth session (after chanting of the Visitation Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh) with prayerfulness and humility the following were elected by secret ballot as members of Írán’s first National Spiritual Assembly: Valíyu’lláh Khán Varqá; Shu‘á’u’lláh Khán ‘Alá’í; Dr. Yúnis Khán Afrúkhtih; Jináb-i-Fáḍil-i-Mázindarání; Amin-Amin; Aḥmad Khán Yazdání; ‘Ali-Akbar Khán Furútan; ‘Ináyatu’lláh Khán Aḥmadpúr; Maḥmud Khán Badi’í.
The National Spiritual Assembly’s first act was to telegraph the Guardian: “National Spiritual Assembly elected implores confirmation.” The following was received in reply: “Greatest aim and crowning act is purchase of land for first national Írán Temple. Delay would jeopardize this vital matter. (Signed) Shoghi.” The new Assembly in its first session elected its executive officers (Chairman, Valíyu’lláh Khán Varqá; Vice-Chairman, Dr. Yúnis Khán Afrúkhtih; Secretary, ‘Ali-Akbar Khán Furútan), and in the course of this and later sessions appointed its committees as follows: Census; Teaching; Children’s Training; Publicity; Unity of East and West; Youth; Írán Mashriqu’l-Adhkár; Women’s Progress; Committee for Copying Tablets; Savings Bank.
Work undertaken by the National Spiritual Assembly in the year 91 included the following: establishment of a special body to study and translate the By-Laws of the National Spiritual Assembly of America; the translation made was then submitted to the Guardian for final revision. Purchase of the land for Írán’s first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in accordance with the Guardian’s instructions; this land consists of a property known as Ḥadíqih (Paradise), situated among the Shimrán hill—villages on the slopes of the Alburz Mountains, about six miles to the north-east of Ṭihrán, and commanding a beautiful view of the city; at present, pending the construction of a direct road at some future time, it may be reached in twenty minutes by auto from the capital. The land, acquired at a cost of 176,000 riyals, is a tract of 1,257,000 square meters, and unlike most parts of Shimrán it is relatively level and fertile; two subterranean water courses (Qanát) come to the surface on this land, and in addition it has an allotment by law of 161 hours of purchased water, which is ample for irrigation of the garden and some of the farm area. . . . Purchase of a vineyard adjoining the Ḥadíqih. Dispatch of two traveling teachers through Írán to supplement the work of local teachers.
Mount Awrang, Mázindarán, where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was taken as a Child to view the Village of Tákur in the Valley. He stood on the raised rock at left-hand side, near the summit.
Garden in Tákur, Mázindarán, showing Pear-tree on right, a Favorite Spot of Bahá’u’lláh, where He often sat.
Ruins of Room in the Vazir’s House in Tákur, Mázindarán where Father of Bahá’u’lláh was born.
Room in the House in Qazvín, where Ṭáhirih met the Believers.
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Presentation of petitions to His
Majesty the Sháh
and to the Government authorities
regarding the following occurrences:
The closing of all Bahá’í meetings in some of the provinces, including Khurásán; the confiscation by police authorities of the Bahá’í pocket calendars which had been printed and spread in Ṭihrán; seizure in the publishing office of the book “Mysterious Forces of Civilization” which had been printed and was being distributed through the efforts of one of the friends; dismissal of some Bahá’í employees from the Department of Highways in Ahváz, Khuzistán; public denunciation of the Cause from the pulpits in the mosques of Ahváz by one of the mullás, in the presence of civil and military heads; seizure in the post offices of Spiritual Assembly correspondence; the spread of articles and caricatures directed against the Cause, some printed in Iran and others abroad; the refusal by registry offices to register Bahá’í marriage certificates in spite of full observation by Bahá’ís of all stipulated regulations; the refusal of some departments of the Ministry of Finance to employ Bahá’ís as a result of the latter’s filling in the religions column of their application blanks with the word “Bahá’í”; the closing of the Tarbiyat Schools in Ṭihrán because of their having closed to commemorate the martyrdom of the Báb (Shábán 28) and the subsequent closing of the following Bahá’í schools throughout the country: Qazvín, Tavakkul School (girls); Káshán, Vaḥdat-i-Bashár Schools (boys and girls); Árán-i-Káshán, Ma‘rifat Schools (boys and girls); Hamadán, Ta’yíd High School (boys); Mawhibat School (girls); Najafábád, Sa‘ádat Schools (boys and girls); Sangisar and Sháhmírzád, Boys’ and Girls’ Schools and Kindergartens; Yazd, Tawfíq Tahdhih, Hushangi, Tarbiyat Schools (boys and girls); Bábul, Sa’ádat-i-Umúmiyyih School; Abádih, Tarbiyat Schools (boys and girls). The suppression of all Bahá’í gatherings throughout the country; closing of the Bahá’í meeting houses (Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds) in all localities; imprisonment of a number of Bahá’ís and even the subjection of some to physical injury; refusal of telegraph offices both in the capital and throughout the provinces to transmit to the authorities petitions of appeal from persecuted Bahá’ís. Throughout this year the National Assembly further sent regular reports to the Guardian, spread his instructions among the friends, corresponded with Assemblies at home and abroad, encouraged Bahá’í institutions and individuals to carry out the Guardian’s instructions and to remain firm in spite of adverse pressure; as directed by the Guardian, the National Assembly also distinguished between purely administrative matters and matters of faith and conscience, summoning the friends to complete obedience to the Government where administrative affairs were concerned, and full observance of their religious" laws in matters of conscience; it further endeavored to console and sustain them in their difficulties and to encourage their strength and harmony. When the schools were first shut down and the restrictions imposed, the National Assembly also dispatched Aqáy-Thábit to the Guardian to receive his instructions (no other means of communication being available); it has likewise met frequently with Government authorities with reference to the occurrences described.
The following are extracts from Assembly
reports regarding the above-mentioned
occurrences. Ṭihrán: it is reported that the
National Police Department issued a
circular order to its local departments in the
capital and throughout the country to the
effect that all public declaration of faith
by Bahá’ís should be strictly suppressed,
that all their meetings and organizations
should be dissolved, that everyone calling
himself a Bahá’í should be arrested and
prosecuted. Following these orders pressure
began to be exerted on the Bahá’ís both in
Ṭihrán and throughout the provinces; all
Bahá’í meetings, whether in private homes
or in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, and even certain
of the children’s character-training classes,
were banned; individuals in whose homes
meetings were customarily held were
required to sign a pledge to the effect that
these would be discontinued; some of the
friends were summoned to district police
departments and told to desist in future
from calling themselves Bahá’ís; regarding
this point the authorities would severely
[Page 97]
reprimand the friends but
seeing them unmoved by threats would
let the matter drop. Certain minor
officials made use of
the situation to serve their own ends and
to introduce their personal views.
For example, when a Bahá’í youth whose bicycle
had been stolen referred to the district
police, the officers in charge asked him to
what religion he belonged; learning that he
was a Bahá’í, the Chief roughly upbraided
him, saying, “So you’re still declaring
yourself a Bahá’í! Haven’t you heard that no
one has the right to breathe that word any
more!” The young man answered simply,
“I am a Bahá’í, and how could I help saying
so when you asked my religion?” The
result was that the theft of the bicycle was
ignored and the young man who had come
to recover his property was imprisoned.
Similar incidents have repeatedly occurred
in Ṭihrán. Certain Ṭihrán newspapers and
magazines have both outwardly and by
implication attacked the Bahá’ís and the
Tarbiyat Schools in libelous articles;
in particular Shari‘at-i—Sangalaji,
one of the religious leaders who exerts
an influence over Muslim youth, spoke
from the pulpit these
words which were later published verbatim
in the magazine “Kanun-i-Shu‘ara”: “Last
night I heard a report which so delighted
me that if I had the means I would strew
the floor of this mosque with sweets. It
was that His Imperial Majesty our powerful
Sháh has ordered the closing of their girls’
and boys’ schools. O People, this is indeed
a matter for thanksgiving! Think what
would happen to our Muslim children who
would attend those schools. May God
Himself assist our mighty and exalted
Sháh!” At the same time ‘Abdu’l—Ḥusayn
Ayati (Avárih) in his magazine
“Namakdán” did not hesitate to publish the worst
sort of slander and libel.
Qazvin: the delegate from the Qazvin Assembly states that following the closing of the Tavakkul School a Government-school teacher in addressing his class turned the subject to the Bahá’í Cause and the Bahá’ís, and began to vilify the Cause, finally shouting with the students, “May God curse the enemies of the Prophet!” after which the class repeated “So be it!” When one of the Bahá’í students objected to the teacher’s action, the teacher and superintendent and later the District Director of Public Instruction intervened and the Bahá’í student was expelled from the school.
Káshán: on Ádhar 22nd the Chief of Public Safety accompanied by the Chief of Police and a number of officers and department inspectors went to the Bahá’í Vaḥdat-i-Bashar Schools for boys and girls, closing them both. They seized the school equipment, put out the custodian and imprisoned the school principal for three days at police headquarters, certain of the officials insulting and abusing the Bahá’ís. Following closing of the schools all Bahá’í meetings were banned.
Najafábád: here the representative of the Vice-Governor proceeded to the Bahá’í schools, gave a verbal order to close them and had the schools’ sign-board taken down; at this the director and directress addressed the students, informing them that the suspension of the schools was due solely to their being Bahá’í institutions. The students, many of them in tears, left for their homes, even the Government officials being visibly affected by their distress.
Mashhad: after forbidding all Bahá’í gatherings, arresting the members of the Assembly and a number of others and then releasing them on bail, the Chief of Public Safety summoned a representative of the Assembly and said, “Your meetings are to be dissolved for all time, and even the building which is your Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds must be sold so that no trace of this may remain.” It is obvious that since these orders were not issued by the Government but were actuated by personal views, none were made effective.
Yazd: during this difficult period the
officials in charge of the Government
Census and Identification Bureau attempted
to oblige the Yazd Bahá’ís to register
themselves as Muslims and the Bahá’ís refused to
do so. Among others ‘Ata’u’lláh
Vujdání-Nizhád was summoned to the police station
and ordered to fill in the religions column
of the identification form with the word
“Islám” and sign it; upon his refusal to
comply, the officials agreed that he should
[Page 98]
leave the space for
religions entirely blank
or should draw a line through it and sign
the paper; he replied that he would not sign
unless he could fill in the column with the
word “Bahá’í.” The Chief of Police began
to argue with him urging him to do as
directed, but seeing that his words had no
effect on Vujdání, he struck him about the
head several times and committed him to
prison. It is reported that Vujdání said to
the Chief, “My father died for this faith
rather than conceal it—do you expect me
to recant because of your blows and
imprisonment?” Following this episode the
friends here all registered as Bahá’ís.
Abádih: with reference to declaring their religion in the census blanks the Bahá’ís of this city telegraphed the Governor of Fárs to say that even if all the Bahá’ís, young and old, should be put to the sword they would never sign any other name than “Bahá’í” in the religions column of the census forms; the Governor there-upon ordered local authorities to allow the Bahá’ís to register as such.
Rafsanján (Kirmán): here the restrictions imposed were of such severity that even the meeting of two Bahá’ís in a shop was objected to. Sirján (Kirmán): here the house-door of one of the believers was defiled during the night. Sabzavár: the entire Spiritual Assembly of this town was imprisoned for several days and afterward released on bail. All Bahá’í gatherings were forbidden. ‘Iráq: here the police not only put a stop to all Bahá’í meetings and administrative activities, but also seized the Assembly’s books and archives, removed them to Headquarters and have never returned them. They further confiscated and retained for a long period the furniture of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
Maláyir: the local Chief of Public Safety
summoned a member of the Spiritual
Assembly and said that he had confidential
news to the effect that all the Bahá’ís in
Ṭihrán were under arrest, that they were
being put in prison and tortured and
persecuted, and that the Government was
determined to obliterate the name “Bahá’í”
from the face of the earth; “You must,” he
added, "urge your friends to adopt one of
the recognized religions, otherwise they will
all be destroyed.” On the following day the
Chief summoned the entire Assembly and
addressed them roughly, saying, “You must
give me a list of the names of all the
Bahá’ís in Maláyir and on leaving here you
must adopt one of the recognized religions.”
A member of the Assembly answered, “Is
it possible for you to take a raisin and whip
it into a green grape? We are unable to
obey your order; do whatever you think
best.” The Maláyir believers were
subsequently so much oppressed that they were
unable even to organize their Assembly.
. . . Correspondence from other parts of
Írán, omitted here for the sake of brevity,
reports similar episodes everywhere.
Election of the National Spiritual
Assembly in 92 was effected as follows:
according to Article 8 section VI of the National
Assembly By-Laws (“If in any year the
N. S. A. shall consider that it is
impracticable or unwise to assemble together the
delegates to the National Convention, the
N. S. A. shall provide ways and means by
which the business of the Convention may
be conducted by correspondence or
telegram.”), the National Spiritual Assembly
in view of the above-mentioned restrictions
and threatening occurrences, finding it
impracticable to assemble the delegates in
Ṭihrán, informed the local Assemblies to
advise election of the delegates in each
section according to the procedure of the
previous year, and cause the delegates to
dispatch their votes by reliable means to the
capital. On the 4th of Jamál, 92 the
outgoing National Assembly held its
ninety-second session; seventy-eight
ballots had been received by this date,
and the following were elected as the
National Spiritual Assembly for the
year 92: ‘Ali-Akbar Khán Furútan (68 votes);
Valíyu’lláh Khán Varqá (67); Dr. Yúnis
Khán Afrúkhtih (61);
Shu‘á’u’lláh Khán ‘Alá’í (56);
Amin—Amin (54); Aḥmad Khán Yazdání (52);
Jináb-i-Fáḍil-i-Mázindarání (45);
‘Ináyatu’lláh Khán Aḥmadpúr (43);
Maḥmud Khán Badi’í (37). Following
counting of the ballots the outgoing
Assembly officially notified each new member of
his election, and relegated affairs to the new
body. The incoming National Assembly
held its first meeting on the 27th of Jamál,
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electing its officers
(Chairman, Varqá; Vice-Chairman,
Afrúkhtih; Secretary,
Furútan; Treasurer, Alá’í) and wiring to
the Guardian: “National Spiritual Assembly
elected implores divine confirmation.”
Referring to this the Guardian later wrote, “I
wired an answer to that telegram and there
is no doubt that the authorities withheld
it.” During this first session the incoming
Assembly further appointed a committee of
five to select the membership of the
National Committees, the following
committees being appointed: Teaching;
Children’s Training; Írán Temple; Census;
Shrines; Bahá’í Properties; Library; Unity
of the East and West; Reviewing; Youth;
Publicity.
Following are extracts from Assembly reports regarding continued restrictions imposed on Bahá’ís throughout the country: Ṭihrán: as heretofore, no public meetings have been held in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, except that on the eve of the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, some four hundred Bahá’ís with the approval of the Local Assembly were admitted by written invitation to the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds for dinner, and remained there to chant prayers and sacred verses until three o'clock in the morning. Bahá’í meetings continue to be held regularly in private homes without any opposition from the police. Character training classes, teaching meetings, national and local administrative meetings are regularly held. Bandar-i—Sháh: here the police authorities subjected the friends to ill-treatment and in one way or another persecuted several of the well-known Bahá’ís. ‘Iráq: local believers have suffered more through the recent restrictions than those elsewhere. The Police and Census Departments have pursued the friends with extraordinary fanaticism. As an example the police summoned Aqáy-i—Zargarzádih, Secretary of the Assembly, arrested him and placed him in such close confinement that he was not even permitted to see his child. Qazvin: the local police have strictly forbidden Bahá’í community and business meetings. They summoned and reprimanded one of the Bahá’ís who had held a meeting at his house in commemoration of Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension. The police further made inquiries of two Bahá’ís with reference to the Bahá’í calendar, subsequently holding its publishers prisoner in the capital for two days. Rasht by order of the Ṭihrán authorities, two ranking Bahá’í officials of the Post and Telegraph Department here who were members of the Spiritual Assembly were forbidden to attend its sessions. Zahidán: here the Vice-Governor ordered the Bahá’ís to evacuate the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, lease it to a non-Bahá’í and discontinue all Bahá’í gatherings in private homes. Following this order, three members of the Spiritual Assembly were placed under arrest, and later released. Kirmán: the local police showed great opposition to the Bahá’ís, and the lowest elements of the populace publicly abused them. Adhirbáyján after forbidding all Assembly sessions and general meetings in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, the police here refused to grant recommendation cards to Bahá’ís (The Írán Government grants such a card to citizens in good standing who require the same) on the grounds that being a Bahá’í in itself constitutes misconduct. Hamadán: a number of local believers who did not possess a Muslim marriage certificate (such a civil certificate being a recent requirement) were prosecuted when applying for identification papers for their new-born children. One believer was further brought to trial for refusal to include the word “Muslim” in his census papers. These individuals were convicted in the lower courts and their cases were appealed.
As an instance of the difficulties
attendant on registration of Bahá’í
marriage certificates, the following
letter from the Local Assembly of
Bandar-‘Abbás is cited:
“. . . on Qudrat 1, 92 (‘Abán 12, 1314)
Khalíl-i-Nidá’í and Maríyam Khánum,
daughter of the late Qulám-Riḍá
Sami’zádih were married as directed by the
Guardian according to Bahá’í law, and five
days later in conformity with Government
regulations the marriage certificate was
taken to the Municipal Bureau for
registration, following which it was to
be registered at the Census Department (there
being no local official marriage registry).
After several days of delay and promises by
[Page 100]
the officials that they
would register the
certificate and give notice of the same, on
the 1st of Ádhár one of the witnesses was
summoned to the Municipal Bureau and
asked about the subject-matter of the
certificate and where and by whom the
marriage was performed; he answered that
according to the Bahá’í Faith there is no
special individual who performs the
marriage ceremony, it being necessary only that
the ceremony be held in the presence of
nine witnesses, and that this wedding took
place in the bride’s home. On successive
days the remainder of the witnesses were
called in and likewise questioned. They
then declared that the marriage had not
been performed according to the country’s
regulations; the friends replied that they
had acted according to their religious
requirements, following which they had
complied with Government regulations by
submitting the marriage certificate for
registration at the Municipal Bureau. The
authorities then summoned the bride and
questioned her; she answered fearlessly that
she and her husband were both born of
Bahá’í parents, had acted according to their
faith and had then submitted their marriage
document for registration, adding that the
authorities could register or not as they saw
fit, since she and her husband had in any
case complied with the regulations. They
then asked, “What is a Bahá’í?” and she
replied with the Master’s words, “A Bahá’í
is the embodiment of all human perfections.”
Their marriage certificate is still
shelved at the Municipal Bureau, and
Khalil-i-Nida’i has appealed to the District
Attorney of Bandar-‘Abbás and to the
National Census Authorities. As the local
authorities continued to agitate the case,
the young couple were obliged to wire the
following, signed by themselves and the
nine witnesses, to the Ministries of Justice
and of the Interior: “We respectfully
submit that on Ábán 12, 1314, we were
married in good will and accord in the
presence of the witnesses listed below. As
we are Bahá’ís the marriage was performed
according to our religious requirements and
since there is no official marriage bureau in
Bandar-i-‘Abbás, we submitted our
certificate to the Municipality for registration,
after which it was to be filed with the
Identification Bureau. Instead however of
registering the document they prosecuted
us because of our being Bahá’ís, making a
case against us and referring it to the
Department of Justice. We are astonished
that such a thing should happen in the era
of justice inaugurated by His Majesty
Pahlavi when all faiths are treated with
impartiality; we humbly request you to
order the authorities to cease persecution of
these innocent persons.”
Many instances have been reported of
oppression suffered by Bahá’ís serving in the
army; certain of these are as follows:
recently ‘Ali-Muhammad Khán Varqá, son
of Mirza Valiyu’lláh Khán, who was a
conscripted officer, was committed to
military prison by order of the General Staff,
and this was charged to the fact that in
connection with the registration of his
marriage certificate he had addressed
complaints to the authorities concerned,
including the Minister of Justice, who had
forwarded his petition to the General Staff
as an alleged infringement of military rules
and an act of insubordination; the Chief of
the General Staff had reported the incident
to His Majesty, whereupon orders were
issued for Varqá’s arrest; his father then
addressed the following petition to His
Majesty: “I have the honor to submit that
my eldest son ‘Ali-Muhammad Varqá after
the completion of advanced studies entered
the Officers’ Training College last year to
finish his term of military service; having
concluded his studies there he served as a
3rd lieutenant in the artillery until on the
31st of Murdád his term of service was
completed. On the 4th of Shahrivar he
was summoned to Headquarters and
although he was no longer in the army and
was seeking work in order to support his
family, he was arrested and imprisoned by
the military authorities. It appears that
the cause of his arrest was his marriage.
which the Ministry of Justice has declared
illegal although it conformed to all the
regulations, as is proved by his marriage
certificate which was officially submitted to
the Registry Office. A Bahá’í can never
act against the country’s laws and the
Imperial will, and his conscience forbids
[Page 101]
him falsely to represent
himself as Muslim, Christian, Jew or
Zoroastrian and to register his marriage
on the certificates and at
the bureaus reserved for them. Such an act
would be disloyalty to the Government and
is forbidden by the Bahá’í Faith; a Bahá’í is
obliged to conform to the Bahá’í marriage
requirements and to seek the registration of
Bahá’í certificates by the officials concerned;
and since hundreds of such marriages have taken
place all over Írán, and
being in conformity with the law have led
to no incidents, my son likewise has proceeded
according to the laws of his faith
and also of his country. It is certain that
in view of imperial justice and favor, it will
not be permitted that a young man of
education, who has completed his military
service under the law, has married and with
a thousand hopes made ready to serve his
country; should at the outset of his career
for no fault or disloyalty be subjected to
such difficulties. I humbly beg His
Majesty’s order for a thorough investigation
of the legality of this marriage, and, if
it agrees with the desire of His Majesty,
the order for his release.” Three days later
the Assistant Chief of Police summoned
him and the following conversation ensued:
(Chief) “Did you write a petition to His Majesty seeking your son’s release?”
(Varqá) “Yes.”
(Chief) “His Majesty orders me to advise you that you have already repeatedly been warned to desist from declaring your faith. You have also been informed that His Majesty looks upon you all with favor and is sure of your loyalty, but he does not wish you to make avowals of your faith.
A Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh addressed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. (Translation of part of this Tablet appears in “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,” page 43, paragraph beginning with "O Thou Who art the apple of Mine eye!”)
An evidence of His Majesty’s favor is that
a large number of Bahá’ís are employed in
various Government departments; for example
Áqáy-i-‘Alá’í has a very important
position in the army, and this is an
outstanding proof of the Sháh’s good-will
toward you, but he cannot condone your
public declaration of faith. He can never
forgive any infringement of laws and
regulations, even on the part of his own son;
for instance a few days ago the man who
next to His Majesty was the foremost
personage in the country became the object
of His Majesty’s displeasure and reprimand
because he had made a slight departure
[Page 102]
from the regulations.”
The speaker continued angrily, “And
now you people want
to force the Government to give you official
recognition. The Government recognizes
only four religions and cannot recognize
you. See how much better off you are than
you were thirty years ago. What more do
you want?” He repeated these things
several times adding that these were not
His Majesty’s words but his own, His
Majesty having only outlined the message
to be delivered.
(Varqá) “My dear Colonel, I don’t understand your motive in speaking as you have. The point at issue is neither the open declaration of faith nor the desire for recognition. My son has been imprisoned by His Majesty’s order; I wrote His Majesty and stated the circumstances, submitting that my son was imprisoned because he is a Bahá’í and has married according to the teachings of his religion. No Bahá’í has acted or will act against the country’s regulations and the Imperial will. There has apparently been a misunderstanding, for we have repeatedly submitted to His Majesty and the ministers in charge that Bahá’ís are obliged by their faith to conform fully to Government regulations in all administrative matters; that is, when the Government orders us to serve in the army, pay taxes, work in the Government offices during stated hours or refrain from giving a daughter in marriage before the age of fifteen, a Bahá’í is obliged by the dictates of his conscience and religion to obey. However, as regards spiritual matters such as acts of worship and marriage he must obey the laws of his religion; in all that relates to spiritual conduct, such as prayer, fasting and the like, which matters have indeed no concern with Government regulations, a Bahá’í will give up his life rather than obey any outside authority. The case of my son’s marriage is an example; he is a Bahá’í of the fourth generation, born and reared in this faith; he has married according to the laws of his religion and has also made out a marriage certificate in conformity with the laws of his country; to what bureau must he take this certificate to be registered? For you have only four bureaus for four religions, and this young man is not a member of any of them. What is he to do? If the Government wishes him to give up his faith, that is impossible.”
(Chief) “The Government has nothing to do with people’s religion. For instance, you hold meetings in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and worship according to the requirements of your faith. The Government has no objection. But it cannot overlook your public declarations of faith and it cannot give you an official status; present conditions are not favorable; perhaps in future it will be different.”
(Varqá) “Again you speak of public avowals of faith. Such avowals are for children and the ignorant; the Bahá’ís are a serious people. His Eminence Shoghi Rabbani has stated in a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly that ‘both public avowals of faith and concealment of faith are blameworthy.’ So you can be sure that Bahá’ís neither declare nor conceal their religion. But consider that both the grandfather and the twelve-year-old uncle of this boy—that is, my father and brother—were hacked to pieces forty years ago in Náṣiri’d-Din Sháh’s prison because they refused to conceal their belief; obviously my son who is a fourth generation Bahá’í will likewise refuse to do so.”
Rúḥu’lláh Mawzún, a member of the Naval Officers Division, was for similar procedure in marrying according to Bahá’í doctrine and petitioning the authorities when his certificate was not registered, called to the capital, degraded to the ranks, ordered to serve two years in the army as a private and imprisoned pending payment by him of 1,511 tumans, the sum spent by the Government for his education. Although newly married and full of hope for his future, this young man quietly and cheerfully accepted what had happened, saying, “Though I am deprived of a rank which to me was of no value, I have gained precious things in the world of the spirit.” His father, Mihdí-Qulí Mawzún, stated in a letter written to the National Assembly, “I request you to send someone to Rúḥu’lláh to comfort him and to tell him from me that he must stand firm.”
Early in Masá’il, 92, the General Staff
[Page 103]
summoned Dr.
‘Abdu’l-Karím Khán Ayádí,
an army physician, and advised him that by
His Majesty’s order he must cross out the
word “Bahá’í” written in the religions
column of his personnel papers, replace it
with the word “Muslim” and endorse the
change; that failure to comply would result
in the loss of his rank and in imprisonment
until he should reimburse the Government
for his education—this notwithstanding the
notice on the form in question that all
answers should be in strict conformity with
truth and that anyone writing in a false
statement would be severely penalized.
Dr. Ayádí declared that he could leave the
space blank but that it was impossible for
him to fill it in with the word “Muslim."
They warned him that refusal would mean
loss of rank, a heavy fine and imprisonment,
and urged him in his own interest to
conceal his faith and give up insisting on this
point; he answered, “If I do as you say, I
shall have lied, and the Government would
then have no reason ever to trust me.
Furthermore, you require army men to
swear on their conscience and religion to
serve the Government with loyalty and
never conceal the truth; how can you
attempt to do away with my religion and
as a result with my honor, and oblige me
to conceal the truth and also to lie?” They
repeated that he must cross out the word
"Bahá’í” and write “Muslim” in its place.
Dr. Ayádí answered, “I shall never do that,
even if you put me to death.” At this the
officials stripped off his insignia and
imprisoned him. Dr. Ayádí was a prisoner
about fifteen days, during which time he
smilingly and firmly withstood all adverse
pressure. His mother, Munírih Khánum,
expressed no sorrow at her son’s
imprisonment, and prepared herself
with entire faith
and serenity for whatever might come to
pass, saying, “My father, the late Hájí
Ákhúnd (The ‘Ali—Qabl-i-Akbar of
Bahá’u’lláh’s tablets), was time and again
chained and imprisoned in the path of the
Cause, and my husband the late Ibn-i-Abhar
likewise suffered imprisonment and
chains. What harm is there in my son’s
sharing this bounty and following his father
and grandfather in the path of his Lord?”
At last Dr. Ayádí’s firmness resulted in
their permitting him to leave the religions
column blank; his rank was restored and
he was reinstated into his former position.
It is thought that the Doctor’s medical skill
and excellent character influenced the
authorities in his favor.
At this time a circular order was issued by the General Staff relative to Bahá’í officers, as follows: “Because inspection of the ten-year identification forms recently turned in discloses that certain officers have described their religion as Bahá’í, you are informed by His Majesty’s order that the religion with which the Bahá’í community identifies itself has no official status, that the word ‘Bahá’í’ should on no account be permitted to appear in the identification forms, that no avowal of their faith should be allowed and that the slightest expression of faith by them should immediately be suppressed and reported to the capital. Officers who in their identification forms or elsewhere describe themselves as Bahá’ís must if they are conscripts be deprived of their rank and finish their term of service as privates, and if they belong to the regular army they must after being deprived of their rank be imprisoned until they reimburse the Government for their education. His Majesty has especially decreed that leaving the religions column blank in itself constitutes a sort of avowal of faith and this too should not be accepted. Officers may only fill in the blank with the name of one of the officially recognized religions. (Signed) Acting Chief of Staff, Darghámí.”
Following this order various officers in the capital and provinces were called to account, some of these being imprisoned and others discharged from the army. Typical cases were as follows:
Áqáy-i-Ávárigán was ordered to the
capital from his post in Kurdistán,
and replied that his mission had not yet been
completed; he was then advised by a
telegram in cipher to inform the authorities
whether he was willing to change his listing
of himself as a Bahá’í in his identification
papers. Ávárigán wired in reply, “Since
my conscience and duty as a soldier forbid
departure from truth I cannot change the
[Page 104]
record.” On his arrival
in the capital he
was ordered to cross out the word “Bahá’í”
and endorse the paper. He answered that
he could only agree to leave the space blank.
As a result he was put under arrest but they
finally accepted his suggestion, and released
him.
Síyávash Safidvash, one of the earliest Zoroastrian Bahá’ís, reports that his son Kaykhusraw who is a conscripted officer was summoned and told that it was officially forbidden to write the word “Bahá’í” in the religions column of the identification form, and was ordered to erase it and substitute one of the recognized religions. They further asked for his answer in writing, whereupon he wrote the following: “In compliance with the regulations heading the ten-year identification form I truthfully stated my religion therein, and I pray God to keep me firm in it to my last breath; ‘whatsoever He wills is best.’ ” As a result he was arrested and deprived of his rank, but eventually this was restored; he was released and permitted to leave the religions column blank.
‘Árif Khán Khádim, also a conscripted officer, was treated in the same way and for the same reason, but after several days of imprisonment he was freed, his rank was restored and he was allowed to leave the religions column blank.
Áqáy-i-Farzánih took second place in the Arsenal Department examinations held to select students for study in Europe; since, however, he had registered as a Bahá’í and had refused the authorities’ order to change the record, he not only lost the opportunity of being sent to Europe but was arrested and is still in prison.
Áqáyán Aḥmadí and Jalílí, conscripted officers, were likewise ordered by their superiors to cross out the word “Bahá’í” from their registration papers and replace it with “Muslim,” this in spite of the fact that only twenty-three days remained of their term of military service; unmoved by threats, they refused to comply, agreeing only to leave the religions column blank. They were then degraded, to the ranks, which they accepted gladly; some three days later their rank was restored and they were much praised for their strength of character, but two days following this they were again ordered to wear a private’s uniform.
MíhdíKhán Varqá, who had recently received employment as a military dentist in the conscript army, upon joining the regiment and reporting to his commander, had with the latter the following conversation:
(Commander) “Are you a Muslim?”
(Varqá) “No, I am a Bahá’í.”
(Commander) “His Imperial Majesty has ordered that all officers must be Muslims, and that non-Muslims must change to the religion of Islám in order to become officers.”
(Varqá) “I have no desire to become an officer and I shall not change my religion.”
(Commander) "Four of you people were in the army; of these, three concealed their religion; one refused, and he is still in prison. Why should you make trouble for yourself?”
(Varqá) “I know, sir, that your intentions are good, but please don’t give me any such advice because it will have no effect on me. If you wish to prosecute or imprison me, I am ready for it, and if I must serve as a common soldier, I am also ready.”
(Commander) “Then I must refer your case to the General Staff for instructions."
At this juncture the Commander's secretary began to offer his advice to the young man. Mihdi Khán asked, “Would you who are a Muslim be willing to declare yourself a Jew?”
(Secretary) “Yes, because His Holiness the Prophet has enjoined concealment of faith in time of need.”
(Varqá) “In our faith, on the contrary, such concealment is forbidden.”
(Commander) “Do as you wish, but I must refer your case to the General Staff.”
Again, 1st Lieutenant Malik-Khusruví
who had served in the army thirteen years.
five of these in action, had been for some
time an instructor in the Military College
and once had among others the Crown
Prince as a pupil, although relatively a new
believer and except for his sister the only
member of his family to be a Bahá’í,
registered as a Bahá’í and when informed at the
College that he must cross this word out
and substitute “Muslim” replied as in the
[Page 105]
other cases described
that he could only
leave the religions column blank. He was
told that this was forbidden, and that he
must register as a member of one of the
four recognized religions. He answered,
“Since you oblige me to state my religion,
write ‘Bahá’í.’ ” In spite of their insistence,
he stood firm. When his papers were
submitted to the Chief of the General Staff the
latter summoned him and strongly advised
him to change his decision, adding, “I am
interested in you and do not wish you to
get into trouble." At last the Chief
declared that he would take the matter to the
Shah. It is reported that on hearing the
case the Sháh said quietly, “I never
interfere with anyone’s religion, but since
this man has not obeyed my commands, the
provisions of the circular order apply to him;
however, do not imprison him unless he
refuses to reimburse the Government for
his education.” As a result he was
expelled from the army and required to
reimburse the Government for the cost of
his education. Malik-Khusruví is thus the
first person in whose case the provisions of
the circular order were fully applied. The
following is a report of his conversation
with the Chief of the General Staff:
(Chief) “I am interested in you and do not wish you to suffer misfortune. Give up this idea and don’t declare your faith.”
(Khusruví) “I have repeatedly submitted that I am making no declaration of faith and that I am ready to leave the religions column blank, but they do not accept this and compel me to state my religion.”
(Chief) “According to Áqáy-i-Álá’í, the Bahá’ís are much attached to Írán.”
(Khusruví) “Bahá’ís all over the world have the same regard for Írán that Muslims have for Mecca, and they consider Írán their point of adoration. I do not think a Bahá’í could be a traitor to his country. I am happy to be expelled on account of my religion instead of on the pretext of embezzlement or some such crime.”
(Chief) “Well then, since you are so much attached to Írán it is well for you to obey the Sháh’s command and register as a Muslim.”
(Khusruví) “I cannot; my Master teaches me to speak the truth; truthfulness is a principle of my faith. Furthermore, the identification form imposes the condition that unless the questions are answered truthfully the signatory will be court-martialed; it is likewise definitely stated in the army regulations that a soldier must tell the truth and the whole truth.”
(Chief) “It is better for you not to declare your faith.”
(Khusruví) “I shall leave the column blank.”
(Chief) “You will be expelled.”
(Khusruví) “So be it.”
(Chief) “They will deprive you of your rank.”
(Khusruví) “Let them.”
(Chief) “You may be imprisoned or transferred to the ports where the climate is bad.”
(Khusruví) "It makes no difference.”
(Chief) “I see that you don’t want to serve in the army.”
(Khusruví) “I am ready to serve so long as the army wants me; otherwise, wherever I am I shall serve the Government.”
(Chief) “If they expel you from the army, the other Government departments will refuse you admission.”
(Khusruví) “It doesn’t matter. I can work for business houses.”
(Chief) “Is suicide allowable in your religion?”
(Khusruví) “No, it is discountenanced.”
(Chief) “Why then are you trying to die by your own hand?”
(Khusruví) “This is not suicide; it is a matter of conscience and faith.”
(Chief) “Go and consult with your elders.”
(Khusruví) “This has to do with a religious command; it requires no consultation.”
(Chief) “Go and think it over.”
(Khusruví) "I did not come here without having thought it over.”
(Chief) “Is it not true that every day in one way or another you tell some falsehood? Consider this as one of those falsehoods. For example, if your child begs you to buy him an automobile don’t you agree to, although you never will?”
(Khusruví) “No sir, I never give a false
promise to my child; for in our faith lying,
[Page 106]
and especially
to children, is strictly forbidden.”
(Chief) “What do you tell him then?”
(Khusruví) “I occupy his mind with something else.”
(Chief) “This affair will lead to your misfortune.”
(Khusruví) “Not misfortune—happiness.”
The following incidents have been reported from the provinces: The Spiritual Assembly of Ahváz advises that Dr. Amin Aḥmadzádih, Muḥammad Naji‘, Sirr-i-Dín ‘Alá’í and Majíd-i-Samadí having registered as Bahá’ís were informed that they must at all costs declare themselves Muslims; they refused, and were given some days time to alter their decision. In Shíráz, officers Himmat and Dr. Salmánpúr registered as Bahá’ís in spite of warnings and threats from their superiors, and stood firm. In Zahidán likewise, Bahá’í officers were subjected to threats and prosecuted for the same reason. In Tabríz, the following letter was received by a Bahá’í officer, 2nd Lieutenant Muḥammad Báhirí: “According to order No. —, officers in filling out identification forms are obliged to name one of the officially recognized faiths in the religions column, and since the religion of Bahá has according to this order no official status, you must, therefore, correct your identification papers; you are advised to inform us of your decision and to appear at Headquarters to see the order in question. (Signed) Acting Commander.” Officer Báhirí wrote in reply: “It is respectfully submitted relative to order No. —— that since mention of the Bahá’í religion is forbidden in the officers’ identification form, I request that a second form be sent me to fill in and I shall leave the religions column blank. It is obvious that since I am a Bahá’í, declaring myself an adherent of another religion would be untrue and I would consider such a declaration as disloyal to the army and my country.” In Bandar-‘Abbás the text of the circular order from the General Staff was officially forwarded to 1st Lieutenant Jalál Asásí and he replied as follows: “With reference to order No. — it is respectfully submitted that the undersigned completed the Officers’ Training School in Mihr 1308 with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and has in the past seven years of service given full proof of his trustworthiness, as the Personnel Department will testify. Since the recently-distributed ten-year identification forms stated that answers must be in full conformity with truth I obeyed instructions and, being an adherent of the Bahá’í religion, recorded this in the religions column. It is not possible for me to dissimulate; I am a Bahá’í and have no other religion.” Amínu’lláh Samí’í was another of those who omitted to fill in the religions column in the identification forms; it was later discovered that a secretary had filled in the space with the word “Muslim.” He made a verbal protest and was about to pursue the matter but as this was not deemed advisable, desisted. It is reported that on numerous occasions when Bahá’í officers have left the religions column blank, army corps secretaries have later written in the name of one of the four recognized religions.
Among the activities of the National
Spiritual Assembly and its committees
during the year 92 were the sending out of two
traveling teachers throughout Írán; the
supplying of teachers to Bahá’í centers in
accord with the request of various Spiritual
Assemblies; the presentation of petitions to
the authorities relative to the restrictions
imposed on Bahá’ís, and personal interviews
with leading officials in the same
connection; the distribution of Bahá’í news to the
believers; the dispatch of comprehensive
instructions to all Local Assemblies to the
effect that as directed by the Guardian
Bahá’í marriages should be performed in
full conformity with Bahá’í doctrine and
the marriage certificates presented
for registration at the registry-offices
for non-Muslims, following which they should be
submitted to the Government authorities
for registration, and that if refused
registration the Assemblies should address
petition to the authorities concerned. . . .
The translation of the Local Assembly
By-Laws and their careful comparison with the
English original. The formation by the
National Committee for Child Training of
two classes for men and women teachers of
[Page 107]
character training;
the holding of lectures
on the Cause for Bahá’í students;
correspondence with Bahá’í centers outside Írán,
and contact through the Unity of the East
and West Committee with orientalists and
travelers; the collection of funds from all
Írán Bahá’ís for purchases of places sacred
to Bahá’ís; the preparation by the Census
Committee of temporary identification
papers for Bahá’ís under twenty-one;
constant written and verbal encouragement of
the friends not to conceal their faith and
to study carefully the Guardian’s instructions.
In the month of Ábán, Dawúd Effendi Tuwíq, Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of ‘Iráq, reached the capital on a visit to the Bahá’ís of Írán, attended numerous meetings organized by the Service and Feast Committees and greatly inspired the friends with a number of important lectures. He then traveled to Gilán, Mázindarán, Fárs and Adhirbáyján, returning to Baghdád by way of Hamadán. During his journey he was attended by a group of Bahá’ís from the capital, and the friends everywhere report that they were much rejoiced by his visit.
First among the Bahá’ís who ascended to the Kingdom during the years 91 and 92 was the beloved Amatu’l-A‘lá, Dr. Susan I. Moody. Upon her departure on October 23, 1934, the Ṭihrán Assembly wired the Guardian and received the following telegram in reply: “Hearts in East and West are saddened by the passing of Amatu’l-A‘lá; she who was chosen by our peerless Master is numbered among the denizens of paradise in the Abhá Kingdom. Her illustrious and constant services forged and fortified the bonds of spiritual union between East and West. All Bahá’í centers should hold fitting memorial services; Amin-Amin shall expend 500 tumáns on my behalf to build for her a tomb of unique beauty. (Signed) Shoghi.” The National Spiritual Assembly of America was likewise cabled of Dr. Moody’s passing; her body was interred with fitting ceremonies in the Gulastán-i-Jávíd (The Bahá’í cemetery of Ṭihrán) and numerous memorial services were held in the capital and throughout the country, while the Írán Bahá’ís also forwarded messages of condolence to their fellow-believers in America through the American National Assembly. In a letter received by the National Spiritual Assembly some time after the passing of Amatu’l-A‘lá, the Guardian writes: "This occurrence has filled the hearts of the friends with grief, and I am greatly saddened by the passing of that essence of severance and that altar-fire of divine love. In faith and assurance she surpassed all about her, and for courage and strength she was far famed. The great institutions she founded shall remain a peerless standard. In times to come Bahá’í men and women from America and other lands following in the footsteps of that glory of womanhood will hasten to the sacred country of Írán, will with great energy, spirituality and joy perpetuate her resplendent services, and will speak in praise and commendation of her illustrious, unceasing work. . . . The value of these blessed, holy souls is not recognized today, but as time goes on the effect of their worthy efforts and pure spirit will be made known. At this moment her triumphant soul is dwelling in the all-highest paradise, communing with the denizens of the Kingdom about the Almighty Throne; she is looking on her dear ones who were for many years her companions in that land, and she is chanting the words, ‘Would that my people could know!’ Let the friends be comforted in this bereavement, and praise her high and noble qualities in all private and public gatherings, and ‘let them who act, act in this wise.’ ”
Jináb-i-Fáḍil-i-Shírází, one of the
foremost of the early Bahá’í teachers and
travelers, a scholar of the first rank and
one who served the Cause by night and day,
ascended to the Abhá Kingdom in ‘Izzat,
92. His body was with due ceremonies
interred in the new Gulastán-i—Jávíd, and
two memorial meetings attended by men
and women respectively were held at the
Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. On the day of his
passing the Assembly wired the Guardian,
“Fáḍil-i-Shírází ascended” and the
Guardian telegraphed in reply,
“Deeply grieved at the departure
of the renowned beloved
teacher; his services shall never
be overcome by death. Assure his
family of my [Page 108]
attachment and loving prayers. (Signed)
Shoghi.”
Mírzá Tagh Khán Bahin—Áyin, one of the early and much-afflicted teachers and known as Qájár, ascended in the month of Adhar (1935) and was interred with fitting ceremonies in the Bahá’í cemetery of Ṭihrán.
In preparation for the elections of the year 93, the present National Spiritual Assembly has sent out a circular letter to all Bahá’í centers, requesting the friends to elect their delegates and arrange for their journey to the capital, where the Convention for the year 93 will meet on the 6th of Riḍván.
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
BY NELLIE S. FRENCH
"Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity, with holy and sweet melodies, proclaiming to the sincere ones the glad tidings of the nearness of God?”——
LOOKING back over the vista of the past two years one is impressed with the different notes and varying cadences which are constantly being introduced in the great universal symphony of the "Unfoldment of the Divine Civilization” of Bahá’u’lláh. These years, so rich in experience, so poignant in the history of the life of mankind are at once a definite link in the working out of the divine plan and separate and unexplored spiritual efforts! They cannot be visioned as a whole—each variation of the glorious melody must be given its own share, its varying nuances emphasized, its overtones duly recognized, its growing harmony of theme and purpose properly evaluated.
In his annual report read by the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly before the delegates assembled for the Twenty-Seventh Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís held in Foundation Hall of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in April, 1935, he says:
“The spiritual character and controlling principle of the Bahá’í year now brought to a close were established for us by Shoghi Effendi in these words dated September 16, 1934“ ‘The situation in Írán which is growing from bad to worse, the necessary measures which should be taken to insure the uninterrupted completion of the clerestory section of the Temple, the adoption of such measures as will stimulate the teaching campaign in America, the exercise of the utmost vigilance lest the authorities of Soviet Russia inflict any injury upon Bahá’í lives and institutions, the extension of any support that may be required to safeguard the interests of the Cause at its most vital and international center to ward off the malicious attacks of enemies from both within and without—these are the outstanding issues which demand the sustained and concentrated attention of every believer.’ . . .
“Indeed, the successive steps which Shoghi Effendi has taken to train, to instruct and to discipline the Bahá’í Community are all paralleled by a swift continuance of that process of disintegration of human society which has become the more apparent as efforts to attain peace and stability have successively failed. Fourteen years ago the Bahá’í Community was still as a child in the household of civilization, apparently bearing no responsibility for the fate of that household, and therefore concerned only with the joys and sorrows of the child’s own growth, the dreams of its own future. Today, with the household in dire confusion and distress, the youth born of the new age is called upon to prove his birthright and demonstrate his capacity to achieve eternal peace, his elders having failed. . . .”
Thus it is that the outstanding major
events of the year mark a diversity of
achievement and growth never before
chronicled in Bahá’í history, nor will new
paths fail successively to unroll themselves
before the wayfarer in this New Age of
unfolding mysteries, for the standardizing
[Page 109]
of those articles of
the Faith contained in
the unique document of the Will and
Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and their
introduction to new believers, bind together
the fabric of Bahá’í Community life in the
indissoluble bonds of the Covenant of God.
And accompanying the development of the
spiritual structure of the Faith the progress
of the ornamentation of the dome of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár,
despite the serious
adversities of the financial world, moved on
toward completion; a miracle in stone, a
miracle in faith, a miracle in devotion and
an evidence of abiding love of the faithful
followers of Bahá’u’lláh. Though at this
time the dome was not completed the
friends were heartened and refreshed by the
following cablegram which served as
inspiration for the year of work ahead. This
cablegram received after the close of the
Convention of 1934 was immediately
communicated to the friends. It read:
“American believers’ inspired leadership steadily unfolding to Bahá’ís world over potentialities majestic edifice heralding formative period Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Their unerring vision conceived its matchIess design. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own hands laid its cornerstone. Their dynamic faith reared its structure. Their sustained self-sacrifice crowned it with immortal glory. May flame their unconquerable enthusiasm continue glowing in their hearts till its naked frame is enveloped in its shining mantle.”
What greater inspiration than this? Then followed the instruction that as soon as the clerestory of the Temple was completed no further contracts were to be made for the next unit until the full amount of the sum required was in hand.
In a letter dated December first, 1934, these significant words appear: “Despite the perils and uncertainties with which their country is now beset, and in the face of the financial reverses they have suffered and the unfortunate controversies that have perplexed and agitated them they have forged ahead and are fast approaching the termination of the first stage in the ornamentation of their consecrated Edifice. Undaunted by the magnitude of this colossal enterprise, undismayed by the smallness of their numbers, the scantiness of their resources and the scorn of their enemies, they have carried triumphantly the Banner of Bahá’u’lláh and brought to a successful issue the first stage in the formative period of His Faith.”
Among the major events of the year also must be noted the passing of the venerable, the beloved and revered Dr. Susan I. Moody in the field of her life work in Ṭihrán. Dr. Moody was one of the early believers to embrace the opportunity of strengthening the bond between the East and the West by taking up her residence in Írán and giving her life to the service of humanity. The national secretary in mentioning the passing of Dr. Moody says: “Her life furnishes the Bahá’í world one more example of heroism and consecration a later generation of believers may well take to heart. How fruitful her life was! What noble institutions she developed, what a monument she reared in the lives of youth of Írán! Even the enemies of the Cause could not withhold their admiration and their recognition of her sincerity! Even officialdom refrained from destructive measures until her stalwart Bahá’í presence had been removed from the scene!”
Teaching Activities
In no previous year of which there is record were there so many enrollments of new believers as in this Bahá’í year. Both in the number of new members added to existing communities, and in number of groups prepared for election of a Spiritual Assembly for the first time, this period was one of remarkable growth. Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and many of the other communities reported enrollments which surpassed all previous years. The teaching of the Cause, reinforced by the mysterious power of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár made more effective by the knowledge of the nature of the Bahá’í community, received a vast stimulus, inaugurating a movement forward surely destined to acquire greater emphasis with every successive year.
The annual report of the National
Teaching Committee comments with gratification
on the extension of the Faith, and points
out with appreciation the fact that the
financial sacrifices made necessary by the
[Page 110]
devotion to the project
of completing the
clerestory section of the Temple imposed
serious limitations in the teaching field
workers, who met the situation with truly
sacrificial devotion. The Teaching
Committee report mentions the names of the
following friends who have participated in
the work of teaching under the direction
of the National Committee:
Mrs. Dorothy Baker, Mrs. Ruth Brandt, Mrs. Louise Caswell, Mr. Dale Cole, Mr. Roland Estall, Mrs. Ida Finch, Mrs. Elizabeth Greenleaf, Mr. Louis Gregory, Dr. Walter B. Guy, Mr. Leroy Ioas, Mirza ‘Ali Kuli Khán, Miss Alma Knoblock, Miss Fanny Knoblock, Mrs. Laura Luther, Mrs. Gertrude Matteson, Mrs. May Maxwell, Mrs. Loulie Matthews, Mrs. Florence Morton, Mrs. Ruth Moffett, Dr. Lenore Morris, Mme. Gita Orlova, Mr. Charles Mason Remey, Mrs. Orcella Rexford, Mrs. Lorol Schopflocher, Mrs. A. Y. Seto, Mr. Mark Tobey, Mr. N. Forsyth Ward, Mrs. Shahnaz Waite, and Mrs. Georgie Wiles.
Under these able exponents of the Teachings fifteen public teaching campaigns were conducted, while 39 public meetings were held regularly for teaching purposes; 34 study classes were inaugurated for new inquirers and 37 classes organized for deepening the knowledge of the Faith among the friends themselves. A careful analysis of the work of the year has proven the most productive method of teaching to be in the fireside groups in the homes, and great stress is laid upon this system, while the National Teaching Committee strongly urges that more of the friends assume this responsibility and open their homes for the reading and study of the Word. The annual report also presents for consideration that very few of the Assemblies have embraced the opportunity to sponsor nearby towns and cities and to become responsible for introducing the Faith into new centers where no believers are registered.
The work of the National Teaching Committee over this period, and indeed over the succeeding year, of which an account will be made later, has been so wonderfully systematized and the entire country so splendidly catalogued that one sees here a true demonstration of Bahá’í efficiency in its ideal form. Much teaching has been carried on by correspondence and over four thousand letters written by the various members of the committee must surely some time bear fruit.
Perhaps the most important phase of the work of the teachers, whether of the National Committee or in the Local Assemblies, is the preparation of new believers for membership in the Bahá’í Community.
Preparation of New Believers for Membership in the Bahá’í Community
To prepare applicants for the right use of their membership in the Bahá’í Community it was found necessary by the National Spiritual Assembly to clarify the qualifications for membership according to the instructions received from the Guardian and statements have appeared from time to time in the Bahá’í News which are a valuable guide in determining this important step. The following constructive suggestions appeared in the News for March, 1935:
1. “As years of experience have shown, intellectual acceptance of the formal standards of the Bahá’í Faith alone is not sufficient. A true believer will, in addition, endeavor whole-heartedly to abide by the results of Bahá’í consultation as maintained by the institutions of the Cause. A true believer, furthermore, will seek to contribute to the unity of the entire community, and find his own development in the growth of the Cause, and not attempt to make the community revolve around his own personality, nor himself revolve around the human personality of any one believer. The capacity for spiritual association is not an additional qualification for membership —it is the real test of the believers’ profoundest spiritual faith. All teachers responsible for preparing applicants for membership will do well to emphasize this important and vital point, for the aim of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation is to establish oneness of spirit and unity of action throughout the world.
2. “An applicant who is enrolled as
voting member of a local Bahá’í
community is thereby given association not
merely in that community alone, but by
[Page 111]
his enrollment becomes
a Bahá’í world citizen—a member of
the Bahá’í Commonwealth maintained
by the central institutions of the
Guardianship and the Universal
House of Justice. If he travels, the
enrolled believer is given credentials which
will be recognized and honored by National
and local Spiritual Assemblies without
distinction, whether in the East or the West.
How important, therefore, in the
preparation of applicants for membership, that
they be made conscious of this supreme
privilege, this most vital responsibility
assumed by all who voluntarily seek the
shade of the Divine Tree, who would
contribute to the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh!
This consideration is likewise a reminder to
all of the present believers, especially those
who are members of local Assemblies, how
essential it is to avoid merely local and
personal issues and situations which might
conceal from an applicant the true
universality of the Faith of God.
3. “The same consideration likewise gives due emphasis to the fact that no local Spiritual Assembly is to be regarded as an independent, self-sufficient Bahá’í institution, but rather as one important link in the series of institutions which constitute the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. Local Assemblies are dependent upon the National Spiritual Assembly, as the National institutions are dependent upon the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice. It is because of this organic dependence that the national By-Laws make enrollment conditional upon final approval by the National Spiritual Assembly.
4. “In order to assure the entrance of each new believer into the Bahá’í community upon the soundest basis possible, it is recommended that local Assemblies, wherever conditions permit, provide a final step for the preparation of applicants already interested by home study classes or some teacher’s individual instruction. This final step consists in the holding of a special study class under the Assembly’s own direct supervision and control, where the applicants can be trained in the Administrative principles and their knowledge of the basic teachings carefully reviewed. By this method, the new believers will experience the wise and impersonal functioning of the institution, and profit also by contact with other teachers. Later on, when local communities are larger and their collective undertakings more proficient, perhaps all applicants, before enrollment, will be able to receive this final, supervised instruction. At present, conditions vary so much among the communities that this suggestion must be developed in accordance with local circumstances. It would be well, however, for individual members of each local Assembly to feel a more positive responsibility in following all local teaching activities, visiting each class or group as frequently as possible, in order to have direct knowledge of this vital aspect of Assembly responsibility. By consultation it would then be possible for the Assembly to assist each group or class conducted by individual teachers in planning their subjects so as to lead up to the central study class held by the Assembly itself. Success depends upon the unity of the Assembly and the willing cooperation of all teachers, old and young, in striving to enlarge the Bahá’í community year by year.
5. “It has been realized by discerning Bahá’ís that one essential aspect of Bahá’í community life, the social aspect, has so far remained practically undeveloped. As local communities become larger and more experienced, their Assemblies will be able to arrange social meetings and gatherings to satisfy the innate human need of friendly association, thus supplementing the Nineteen Day Feasts and the Anniversaries which at present are the only recognized Bahá’í gatherings. The larger local Assemblies might even now arrange occasional feasts, in addition to those in the Bahá’í calendar, to provide occasions for informal association of believers and also to enable applicants to become acquainted with the local community. So far, such informal gatherings have been arranged mostly by individual believers in their own homes, which tends to make the social aspect of the community too onesided and personal, in distinction to the universality of the formal Bahá’í meetings. The National Assembly regrets deeply that Bahá’ís are still compelled to develop a social life either
Photograph of Bahá’ís taken in Adrianople (between 1863-1868 A.D.). (Seated third from left is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. On His right is Mírzá Mihdí, the Purest Branch; on His left Bahá’u’lláh’s half-brother, Mírzá Muḥammad-Qulí.)
[Page 113]
outside or on a basis of
restricted intimacy
within the Cause. But through social
gatherings arranged by the local Spiritual
Assembly, the social life of Bahá’ís will
reinforce and strengthen their spiritual and
ethical lives, and moreover such gatherings
will not only bring the applicants and the
older believers together but also
demonstrate the vital fact that Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith,
in the Guardian’s own words, inculcates a
standard which ‘incline it to neither East
nor West, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither
rich not poor, neither white nor colored.’
6. “Last but by no means least in importance is the fact that when new applicants are enrolled, not merely are they to be adjusted to the Bahá’í community, but the older believers are also to adjust to the new friends. This consideration, in fact, must receive increasing attention as indications multiply that the era of more rapid growth has begun. Courtesy, true Bahá’í love and the spirit of cooperation are due every new Bahá’í, without the slightest tincture of aloofness, separateness or, on the other hand, undue favoritism, from those who have longer shared the privilege of adherence to the Faith.
“The National Spiritual Assembly offers these remarks as suggestions deserving of thoughtful attention. In no sense are they put forth as rulings or commands, because formal legislation cannot be carried into the realm of the heart and the conscience. In essence this statement is an appeal, an urgent call for new and higher spiritual attitudes on the part of all the members of the American Bahá’í Community.”
Teaching and Training of Children
In the hands of a most able and devoted committee study outlines for the teaching and training of children have been made available and are widely used throughout the Bahá’í World; however, these outlines are susceptible of great expansion and should be more generally used as their value is inestimable. Among the material in preparation is a collection of poems for groups of various ages on themes in keeping with the Bahá’í Faith, a selection of stories from the “Dawn Breakers,” Bible stories which Bahá’í children should know as well as a collection of stories from Bahá’í literature.
An interesting development of the work with children has been the exchange of letters between various groups for through this means is born a greater consciousness of unity and oneness in the Faith and a greater encouragement toward study and research.
Bahá’í Youth
This, the second year of the work of the committee for Bahá’í Youth, marked certain definite accomplishments and determined certain definite aims and purposes in the pursuit of its ideals. Since the inception of the Youth work in 1933 communication has been established with nineteen international groups representing fifteen nations, and with fifty-three local groups. These do not, however, represent adequately the Youth Groups of the world.
During the year also the committee issued their first Bulletin designed to reach and interest young people between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one years. By the time the third Bulletin was ready for circulation the subscription list amounted to three hundred names, showing a marked increase in interest and a growing spirit of cooperation among the various Assemblies. These Bulletins contained valuable suggestions and lists of publications designed to increase the knowledge of the Faith and provide information invaluable in the formation of Youth Groups everywhere. Open letters addressed to young Bahá’ís were published in the Bahá’í News and the communications from the Committee became a valuable part of the regular issues of the News.
With the decision rendered by the National Spiritual Assembly that youth of sixteen to twenty-one years might declare their interest in the Faith and attend the Nineteen Day Feasts, it became a matter of paramount importance to educate the youth and prepare them for the time when the age of maturity being reached, they might declare their desire to become fully qualified members of the voting community.
International correspondence was increasing,
[Page 114]
and with the Guardian’s
instruction to
“create an international body of active
young Bahá’í men and women” the committee
arose to accept the challenge and
have bent every effort in that direction.
Work for peace is always one of the main
issues, and cooperation with the “Herald
of the South” established a link between
the two continents which will become more
and more intimate as time goes on.
It is with a sense of the greatest gratification that those believers who form the older generation and even the pioneers in the Faith in America are now witnessing the preparation of the hosts which are to follow in their footsteps and meet the challenge of a dying civilization with the truth and power and love of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and His program for the New World Order.
Bahá’í Summer Schools
Their Importance
“He (the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi) hopes that through the earnest and sustained efforts of your committee these annual gatherings will acquire increasing importance in the eyes of the public, and will constitute an effective medium for the dissemination of the Teachings. He feels that in your next summer meetings continued emphasis should be laid upon the teaching of the Administration, especially in its relation to the outside world, so as to impress the non-Bahá’í attendants at the school with the nature, character and world significance of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.” (From a letter from the Guardian through his secretary to the Central States Summer School, dated November 6, 1934.)
No medium for teaching lies so near to the heart of the Guardian as these Summer Schools. He watches with infinite hope and trust the preparation of their work, the contents of their programs, the number of attendants, the growth and effect of their efforts. The National Assembly urges the believers to realize the importance of these three Summer Schools, for these institutions are to evolve into educational centers which eventually will have profound public influence.
The following programs advanced for the season of 1935 will show the trend of the work in hand:
1. Green Acre
Study Courses
1. July 8-12. The Conduct of Bahá’í Affairs. Leader to be announced later.
2. July 15-19. The Most Great Peace. Leader, Horace Holley.
3. July 22-26. Fundamental Teachings. Leader, Shahnaz Waite.
4. July 29—August 2. The Practice of the Bahá’í Life. Leader, Dorothy Baker.
5. August 5-9. Bahá’í Teachings on Mysticism. Leader, Glenn Shook.
6. August 12-16. Racial Similarities and Differences: The Scientific Evidence and the Bahá’í Teachings. Leader, Genevieve Coy.
7. August 19-23. The Origins, Powers and Conditions of Man. Leader to be announced later.
8. August 26-30. Review of “The “Promise of All Ages” and "Security for a Failing World” with suggestions as to their use in teaching. Leader, Stanwood Cobb.
Conferences
July 5-7. Teaching Conference.
July 20, 21. Youth Conference.
August 17, 18. Race Amity Conference.
2. Pacific Coast
(Geyserville)
July 14-27
- Devotions: 9:00 A. M. daily.
- Classes: 9:30 A. M. to 12:30 P. M. daily.
- Round Table Discussions: 2:30 P. M.
each Tuesday and Friday.
- Children’s Activities: Study Classes 9:30 A. M. daily. Supervised Recreation, 2:30 P. M. daily.
- Public Meetings: Fellowship Dinner
with Geyserville Grange, 6:30 P. M., Thursday, July 18. Griffith Grove, Santa Rosa, 2:30 P. M., Sunday, July 21. Odd Fellows’ Hall, 8:00 P. M., Wednesday, July 24.
- Unity Feast: Annual Reunion of Bahá’ís
and guests, 12 noon, Sunday, July 14.
[Page 115]
:Courses of Study:
- History of the Bahá’í Faith.
- Underlying Principles of Bahá’í Administration.
- The Administrative Order of the
Bahá’í Faith.
- Individual and Collective Relationships to the Bahá’í Faith.
- The Teaching and Influence of Islám.
- Teaching Conference: 2:30 P. M., Saturday, July 20.
3. Central States
(Louhelen Ranch)
- Young People’s Conference.
- Monday, June 24 through Thursday,
- June 27. Registration, Sunday, June 23.
- Monday, June 24 through Thursday,
- Young People’s Conference.
Study Courses
- 1. The Bahá’í Life. Leader, Dorothy Baker.
- 2. Bahá’í Approach to World Problems.
Leader, Bishop Brown.
- 3. The Guardian’s Letters. (A forum to
be conducted by the Young People’s Council.)
- 4. What is the Bahá’í Movement?
(Introductory course to be given by young people selected by the Council.)
- First General Summer Session.
- Saturday, June 29 through Sunday,
- July 7. Registration, Friday, June 28.
- Saturday, June 29 through Sunday,
- First General Summer Session.
Study Courses
- 1. Conduct of Bahá’í Affairs. Leader,
Horace Holley.
- 2. Security in a Failing World. Leader,
Stanwood Cobb.
- 3. Divine Art of Living. Leader, Loulie
A. Mathews.
Public Meetings
- Afternoon talks. Subject and speaker to be announced later.
- Second General Summer Session.
- Monday, August 19 through Saturday, August 24.
Study Courses
Two courses will be presented. Announcement later.
Bahá’í Archives
During this period the Archives Committee was busy collecting, authenticating and translating the Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá hitherto kept by their recipients, who cherished them so dearly that they had not become conscious of the vital importance of preserving them in the National Archives, and who parted with them only after much earnest solicitation. Through the preservation of these Tablets, those bearing the signature of 'Abdu’l-Bahá only, the authentic words of the Center of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh will be made available to all posterity and with the utmost vigilance the committee strove to secure, to list and to file them. Among the Tablets received was a group of twenty-five originals, with translations, from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Miss Sarah Farmer. Other materials received included a small collection of sacred relics which had belonged to Dr. Moody, and a collection of notes, correspondence, newspaper clippings and photographs which had belonged to Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler which form an excellent record of her work in various lands.
Editing of Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Collaborating with the Archives Committee those responsible for the editing of the unpublished Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were working diligently on the preparation of the contents for Vol. IV of the Tablets —sorting, classifying, separating and making three copies of each Tablet of which there were up to that time three hundred and ninety-seven. These will constitute Vol. IV and will be printed as soon as it is possible to bring them out in suitable form. In the meantime they have been filed alphabetically and returned to the Archives.
Other Committees
During this period the Committee for the preparation of material for the "Bahá’í World,” Vol. VI, were working steadily to bring this volume more nearly to the high standard which the Guardian constantly upholds.
The Committee for the Transcription of
Braille for the Blind made the objective of
[Page 116]
their year’s work the
production of the
“Book of Íqán” and the hand-tooling of
various of the shorter Bahá’í writings for
that remarkable Swedish publisher, Mr.
Harald Thilander, through whose
instrumentality it is hoped, some breeze from the
Divine Rosegarden may reach the blind
readers of many cities in Europe.
The “Book of Íqán” as well as “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” and certain pamphlets are now in the circulating libraries for the blind which are connected with the public libraries in many of the large cities of this country.
The Contacts Committee, carried on primarily to arouse interest in the Bahá’í Faith, have done yeoman service in tactfully and consistently seeking to Contact nationally known figures in the educational, sociological and literary fields, and the response with which they have been met is highly interesting. In their report the committee says: “. . . The responses have shown how general is the search for the solution of the difficulties confronting humanity today. When it is pointed out that men such as Horace Bridges, Graham Taylor, Howard Vincent O’Brien and others of the same stamp have eagerly responded, it is clearly apparent that ‘the world is waiting.”’ It is recorded that some six hundred and more persons have been individually approached.
"The Bahá’í Magazine”
}
“The Bahá’í Magazine,” so dear to the hearts of all who had watched its growth from year to year and had found it a means of inspiration, a faithful record of the early history of the Faith, and fund of information and a veritable mine of the jewels of the wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, was approaching the culmination of a long and useful career. Evolving through the “Bahá’í News” which made its first appearance in 1909, through the "Star of the West” containing the record of that wonderful visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to this country, of His public addresses, His Tablets and instructions, His prayers and exhortations, the early photographs as He appeared on various occasions, the dedication of the Temple grounds, the Íránian section and the news of the progress of the Faith in other lands, through these—and the subsequent change of title to the “Bahá’í Magazine”—this intimate organ of the friends was about to merge itself into a vehicle to be known as "The World Order Magazine” which should appeal to the intelligentsia, to the world at large, to the minds and hearts of those true seekers of unity for whom the “Bahá’í Magazine” as such, might fail to have an appeal. Never again will there be so precious, so glorious, so intimate a record of the beginnings of a Mighty Age! May its pages be preserved in imperishable glory!
History of the Cause
A National History Committee delegated to collect and preserve for posterity the early history of the Faith in America, together with all the circumstances relating to the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, has been earnestly endeavoring to make an authentic record which only future generations will be able fully to appreciate, when with the growth of human perceptions mankind will have begun to understand its significance, will know this is a “Day wherein the River of Life streamed forth from the finger of His Generosity and the Fountain of Revelation and Unity became manifest through His Manifestation, to all who are in His earth and heaven!”
Indexing and Cataloguing the Bahá’í Literature
The difficulties encountered by this committee were due to the fact that the work was new and the members entirely untutored in its technique. It is indeed the work of experts to undertake so important a commission but a survey of the believers in many centers revealed the fact that there were those who could undertake it and indeed some work had already been done, so that a good beginning has been made and many valuable suggestions presented.
Legal Matters
The Legal Committee concerned itself
with the Indenture conveying the valuable
[Page 117]
West Englewood property,
upon which the
National Bahá’í headquarters are situated, as
well as the parcel of land in the grove where
‘Abdu’l-Bahá held His memorable Unity
Feast in 1912, from Mr. Wilhelm to the
Trustees for the National Spiritual
Assembly. The Indenture also conveying to the
Trustees for the National Spiritual
Assembly the former home of the late Maria P.
Wilson in Malden, Mass., which
‘Abdu’l-Bahá blest by living there
for some time in
1912, and which had originally been
bequeathed to the Guardian, was transferred
by him to the trusteeship of the National
Assembly.
The Indenture of the Bosch property in Geyersville, California, was at this time in its final stages and has since passed into the hands of the Trustees also.
Legal questions connected with the incorporation of several of the Local Spiritual Assemblies were under consideration, as well as certain By-Law changes and interpretations.
A new form of bequests was in preparation so that any legacy might appear in the proper legal form in the will of anyone desiring to bequeath property to the Cause. According to the Bahá’í Law it is incumbent upon every Bahá’í to make a will and during this period bequests were left to the Cause by Mrs. Agnes S. Parsons, Mrs. Mary Harriman Rudd, Mme. Frida Stjerna and Dr. Susan I. Moody.
The symbol of the Greatest Name has been protected by law under trade mark registration made by the National Spiritual Assembly through the U. S. Patent Office, action having been taken to secure similar protection in Canada. The National Spiritual Assembly has now limited the use of the symbol of the Greatest Name to books and pamphlets containing the Words of Bahá’u’lláh. The word “Bahá’í” was legally protected some years ago. . . .
Deeds transferring several parcels of land in Haifa to the Palestine Branch of the National Spiritual Assembly had been received from the Guardian, while several American believers have taken steps to transfer their holdings of Mt. Carmel land to the Palestine Branch of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Distribution of Bahá’í Literature to Public Libraries
Every possible avenue of approach to the public has been employed, but through the means of the public libraries it is hoped to acquaint interested readers with the literature of the Faith and to this end Local Assemblies were urged to place the “Bahá’í World,” Vol. IV, before the public in this way so that they might have a consecutive record of Bahá’í international progress. Local Assemblies were also requested to place copies of Dr. Cobb’s “Security for a Failing World” and "The Promise of All Ages” of Christophil in public and university libraries, the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. A complete catalogue of the Bahá’í books now on the shelves of the public libraries throughout the country is in the hands of this committee.
Publicity
Well organized and efficient methods of publicizing the news of the Faith and familiarizing the general public with the Teachings and activities of the Bahá’ís have opened the doors of many of the most important newspapers and magazines of the country, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár ever proving a most fertile and acceptable subject in every case. A complete file of all publicity is kept and a record of each teacher is available for any city where the travelling teachers may be visiting for the purpose of teaching the Faith.
Publishing
The brilliant work of the Publishing Committee is evidenced by the continual supply of new publications and the many valuable reprints which demand has made necessary. The books are now handled through an eastern and a western agency as well as through the librarian at the Temple. This year witnessed as new publications—
- “The Bahá’í World, Vol. V
- “Index for Bahá’í News” prepared
under supervision of the N. S. A.
- “Bahá’í Teachings on Economics”
- "Mysticism and the Bahá’í Revelation”
- by Rúḥí Afnán
- "Mysticism and the Bahá’í Revelation”
[Page 118]
::“World Religion”—pamphlet by Shoghi Effendi
- “Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l Baha”
(pamphlet form)
- “Bahá’í Teachings on Universal Peace”
- Catalogue in small convenient size
Reprints:—
- “Bahá’í Prayers”
- “Bahá’í Faith” (Publicity leaflet)
- “Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh (pamphlet)
- “America and the Most Great Peace”
(pamphlet).
Translations:—
- “World Economy of Bahá’u’lláh” into German and French
- Other translations not as yet listed.
Titles added to the catalog this year but not published by the committee:—
- “Do’a: Call to Prayer” by Ruth J.
Moffett
- “Security for a Failing World” by
Stanwood Cobb
- “The Promise of All Ages” by Christophil.
Review and Editorial
The functions of this committee as defined by the National Spiritual Assembly were:
- To determine whether the manuscript
conformed to Bahá’í teaching.
- To determine whether the manuscript
conformed to adequate standards of literary style and taste.
- To determine whether the manuscript
met a real need in the Cause.
A further and most important step, in view of the possibility of a vast quantity of literature not fully conforming with the requirements which may appear in the future was, that the National Assembly instructed the committee that the notation that the work is approved by the Bahá’í Reviewing Committee is to be limited to such works as have not only been approved, and confirmed by the National Assembly, but which are also published under Bahá’í auspices.
The Study Outline Committee compiled a most valuable study course of twenty lessons on Bahá’í Administration which simplifies and epitomizes many questions in Administration thus minimizing the labor of the sincere student.
Race Amity
“The complexity of the racial situation in America,” says Mr. Louis Gregory in his report to the National Spiritual Assembly at the Convention of 1935, “makes the work of building race amity one of delicacy and difficulty that challenges constant effort and the best resources of minds and hearts. The status of the colored race the country over, with marked varieties of degree, is that of an under-privileged and minority group, whose attainments of rights, which theoretically belong to all Americans, and whose progress economically, socially, morally and spiritually is very largely dependent upon the attitude of their neighbors of the majority group.”
“That the general awakening of the world has favorably affected this problem, that spiritual powers have play, that substantial progress has been made, nothing short of morbid pessimism can deny. The resources of government, education, philanthropy, business and religion have unfolded plans in the effort to bind the breaches among peoples. Yet with rare exceptions, even the most active and sincere, unless aided by the Divine Revelation of Today, are veiled by the shadows of past and present. And even among the favored few tests are many and severe, making a constant demand for faith, fidelity, intelligence, broadmindedness, courage, love, patience, prayerfulness and Guidance.”
The committee and the cause of Amity met with a great loss in the passing of that ardent advocate of this ideal, Mr. Hooper Harris, whose profound knowledge of the Teachings, especially in their relation to the Bible, made his services invaluable in this and every other field.
Amity meetings were held in many of the
centers, and especially noteworthy was the
Conference in Green Acre, while the
publicity accorded the work of the committee
by articles which appeared in the “Chicago
Defender,” the “Pittsburgh Courier” and
[Page 119]
the “Amsterdam News,”
three great weekly
journals of the colored race, were of
immense importance. The report comments
with appreciation on the devotion and
service of the Southern Bahá’ís in particular.
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
The dominant note, the great undertaking of this year was the continuation of the work of ornamentation on the dome of the Temple and every pulse quickened as progress reports appeared from time to time and photographs of the details of the work were generously distributed among the friends. That this beautiful dome should have been able to grow and take form under existing financial conditions which have swept the country is one of the miracles of this age. To enumerate the various phases of the work would only be to recall some of the anxieties which beset those whose responsibility it was to bring the matter to a successful issue. It is more timely then to quote from the letter of the secretary of the Guardian which appeared at the end of the report of the chairman, Mr. Allen McDaniel. The letter read: “In closing may I convey to you and to the American Community of the believers as well, the Guardian’s abiding appreciation and gratitude for the striking manner in which the American friends, under the leadership of your Assembly, have each and all arisen to meet the emergency which the lack of sufficient funds had created in connection with the work of the Temple. This constitutes indeed an added victory in the series of triumphs which the American believers have, ever since the ascension of the Master, been winning in the fields of service to the Faith. Their collective, united and sustained labors in this connection are surely bound to hasten the realization of the Master’s promises concerning the ultimate triumph of the Cause throughout the American continent. May this sublime vision disclosed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá intensify their zeal and stimulate their ardour in bringing their sacred and mighty task to a speedy consummation.”
Services in the Temple
The work of the exterior ornamentation of the Temple in no way interfered with the use of the Foundation Hall for meetings and a committee in charge of the programs worked diligently to sustain the interest in the public meetings which occurred as usual each Sunday at 3.30 P.M., and which were attended largely by new people. Every speaker is at his best when standing in this holy place to proclaim the Message of this Day of God, for the Temple is the heart of the Faith on the western hemisphere“—
. . . Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose name all the atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue of Grandeur hath been moved to disclose that which had been wrapt in His knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might. He, verily, through the potency of His name, the Mighty, the All—Powerful, the Most High, is the ruler of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth.” (Gleanings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 16.)
Special meetings are frequently arranged as was the case during the sojourn of Mme. Gita Orlova whose brilliant teaching attracted many people. The Feasts and all Bahá’í Holy Days are celebrated in the Temple, the Assemblies of Wilmette, Evanston and Winnetka and Chicago alternating in collaboration with the Temple program committee. Besides this, hundreds of people visit the Temple and are informed of its significance and of the Great Advent. During the year of 1934 approximately 12,000 visitors were conducted through the building; of these some 1,130 represented the membership of many organizations such as clubs, etc.
“Tear asunder in My Name, the veils that
have grievously blinded your vision, and,
through the power born of your belief in
the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain
imitation. Enter then, the Holy Paradise
of the good pleasure of the All-Merciful.
Sanctify your souls from whatsoever is not
of God, and taste ye the sweetness of rest
within the pale of His vast and mighty
Revelation, and beneath the shadow of His
supreme and infallible authority. Suffer not
yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of
your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have
perfected in every one of you My creation, so
that the excellence of My handiwork may
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be fully revealed
unto men. It follows
therefore, that every man hath been, and
will continue to be, able of himself
to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified.
Had he not been endowed with such a
capacity, how could he be called to account
for his failure? If in the day when all the
peoples of the earth will be gathered
together, any man should, whilst standing in
the presence of God, be asked: ‘Wherefore
hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and
turned away from My Self?’ and if such a
man should reply and say: ‘Inasmuch as all
men have erred and none hath been found
willing to turn his face to the Truth, I too,
following their example, have grievously
failed to recognize the Beauty of the
Eternal,’ such a plea will, assuredly,
be rejected. For the faith of no man can be
conditioned by any one except himself. . . .
“The signs of God shine as manifest and resplendent as the sun amidst the works of His creatures. Whatsoever proceedeth from Him is apart and will always remain distinguished, from the inventions of men. From the Source of His knowledge countless Luminaries of learning and wisdom have arisen, and out of the Paradise of His Pen the breath of the All-Merciful hath continually been wafted to the hearts and souls of men. Happy are they that have recognized this truth.” (Gleanings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 143 et seq.)
Conclusion
“In conclusion the important announcement is made that the Guardian has given the friends a wonderful blessing in the form of new translations of excerpts from Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh. Within the last few days three different manuscripts have been received from Haifa, and with them a letter stating that these are to be published with the title “Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.” It would be presumptuous to attempt to describe their power, their beauty, their vitalizing spirit. Suffice it to remark that Shoghi Effendi, having renewed the Cause by instructing us in the principles of administrative order, now calls us to a spiritual renewal in our knowledge of the creative Utterance of Bahá’u’lláh.”
APRIL 21, 1935—APRIL 21, 1936.
The keynote of this epoch may best be sounded by reverting to a letter from the Guardian under date of January 10, 1936, which reads:
"Dearly beloved co-workers:
“This new stage in the gradual unfoldment of the Formative Period of our Faith into which we have just entered—the phase of concentrated teaching activity, synchronizes with a period of deepening gloom, of universal impotence, of ever-increasing destitution and wide-spread disillusionment in the fortunes of a declining age. This is truly providential and its significance and the opportunities it offers us should be fully apprehended and utilized. Now that the Administrative organs of a firmly established Faith are vigorously and harmoniously functioning, and now that the Symbol (i.e. the House of Worship) of its invincible might is lending unprecedented impetus to its spread, an effort unexampled in its scope and sustained vitality is urgently required so that the moving spirit of its Founder may permeate and transform the lives of the countless multitudes that hunger for its teachings. That the beloved friends in America, who have carried triumphantly the banner of His Cause through the initial stages of its development, will in a still greater measure prove themselves capable of meeting the challenge of the present hour, I, for one, can never doubt. Of the evidences of their inexhaustible vitality I am sufficiently and continually conscious. My fervent plea will not, I feel certain, remain unanswered. For them I shall continue to pray from all my heart.
“The year that has come to a close, while marked by vigorous and varied activity, has been a period of spiritual incubation, of a turning inward to the life of the soul, such as has not occurred, perhaps, since the American Bahá’ís entered the valley of desolation at the loss of our Master, our inspiration, our guide, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
“Two conditions may be noted as chiefly
responsible for this concentration of effort
upon the establishment of a more conscious
[Page 121]
and vital inner
life—the Guardian’s gift of
'Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá’u’lláh,’ that inexhaustible
draft of the Divine Elixir, and
the increased perturbations
of a world whose ‘foundations tremble and
whose wise men are confounded.’ In reality
we should regard these not as
two conditions but as the two
facets of the same providential
destiny which both destroys
and creates.
“As long ago as November 24, 1924, Shoghi Effendi wrote: ‘We have but to turn our eyes to the world without to realize the fierceness and the magnitude of the forces of darkness that are struggling with the dawning light of the Abhá Revelation. Nations, though exhausted and disillusioned, have seemingly begun to cherish anew the spirit of revenge, of domination, and strife. Peoples, convulsed by economic upheavals, are slowly drifting into two great opposing camps with all their menace of social chaos, class hatreds, and world—wide ruin. Races, alienated more than ever before, are filled with mistrust, humiliation and fear, and seem to prepare themselves for a fresh and fateful encounter. Creeds and religions, caught in this whirlpool of conflict and passion, appear to gaze with impotence and despair at this spectacle of unceasing turmoil.’
“What the Guardian, with clear and unimpeded view, could then so deeply discern, the nations themselves, for all the veils of spiritual darkness, interfering with and distorting their vision, now begin to appreciate. It is the note of conscious desperation sounding in society which this year has surrounded us with an altered environment, one far more responsive to the ministration of the Divine Physician, yet one which likewise makes supreme challenge to the community of Bahá’ís.
“What wonder then that Shoghi Effendi has made teaching the very essence of our individual and collective Bahá’í life; what wonder that he has made the translation of Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets so important a part of his myriad services; what wonder that the believers themselves, without relaxing their efforts in the performance of definite tasks, have felt intensely the need for renewing and confirming their relationship to the Manifestation of God upon which all capacity and all effort depends.
“Therefore, as we summarize the history of this Bahá’í year terminated by the Twenty-Eighth Annual Convention, let us not fail to bear in mind the fact that not by outward progress and achievement alone, but also by the establishment of purer motives, deeper humility and new powers of understanding, does the Bahá’í community fulfil its privilege as the ‘nucleus and pattern’ of the world order of Bahá’u’lláh.” “O ye discerning ones of the people:
“Verily, the Words of God which have descended from the heaven of the Will of God are the source of unity and harmony for the world. Close your eyes to racial differences and welcome all with the light of oneness. Be the cause of the comfort and the advancement of humanity. This handful of dust, the world, is one home, let it be in unity.”
Steadily and earnestly the work of unifying the divergent races into the all-embracing consciousness of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh has been moving forward. The varying nationalities, so long victims of the error of separateness, won by the sincerity of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, have come at last, or perhaps better, are coming at last to recognize that no ulterior motive, no unworthy ambition lies at the root of the devotion to this Cause of those whose lives are dedicated to these holy ideals. Public meetings throughout the country, well planned conferences, seasoned by the love of justice and understanding, are winning this hard contested territory. No longer is the emphasis placed on race amity, but on amity alone, the consciousness of racial differences having broken down in the “light of oneness.”
The Teaching Field
“The new hour has struck in the history of our beloved Cause, calling for nationwide systematic, sustained effort in the teaching field enabling thereby these forces to be directed into such channels as shall redound to the glory of our Faith and the honor of its institutions.”
“With this clarion call of Shoghi Effendi
to higher services in the teaching field, the
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Guardian set in motion
a new wave of concerted action by the
American Bahá’í Community. How
miraculously the Will of
God functions through the sincere servants
may be realized by surveying the
development of community activities within the
Faith, with the trends of conduct and the
increasing problems of humanity without
the Faith.
“After the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, when the Faith was filled with great enthusiasm, but with the form under which its dynamic principles were to function undeveloped, the Guardian stressed the necessity of perfecting the Administrative Order, the Form through which the Holy Spirit might descend unsullied and unstained during the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh. . . .
“The next call to community activity was the call to unified action in completing the superstructure of the Temple and the ornamentation of the dome—that ‘flaming beacon of hope to a distracted world.’ Now with the Form of the Faith firmly established, with the symbol of its glory standing unique as a beacon to wandering humanity, we are called to arise as a unit in carrying to the human race the healing and quickening power of the Holy Spirit descending into the world through the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh alone.”
Throughout America it has become evident that each and every follower of Bahá’u’lláh is beginning to sense his individual responsibility and as this consciousness deepens the cry for teachers will be more adequately met and the spread of the new consciousness will gain more and more impetus. The Guardian stresses the need of the pioneer spirit such as actuated the disciples of Jesus and of those who, in the early history of the Faith, forsook all worldly entanglements and followed in His footsteps. A canvass of the present situation reveals the fact that there are ten states in the United States and three provinces in Canada where no believers exist. In several of the states and provinces the Cause is represented by either isolated believers, or by small groups who have not reached the required proportions to become a duly qualified Assembly. These conditions are being met with all the ardor and all the power possible and although the staff of teachers operating under the direction of the National Teaching Committee is all too limited, still in the two year period covered by this survey the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies has increased from sixty to seventy-two with several more in a preparatory stage of development.
The preparation of individuals for an Assembly, besides the thorough grounding in the simple but explicit articles of Faith as expressed by the Guardian—the recognition of the Báb as the Herald, Bahá’u’lláh as the Divine Messenger, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant, the Guardianship imposed by His Will and Testament on Shoghi Effendi, and the Administrative Order-there are certain ordinances which a believer must understand and which are not only to be accepted as obligatory, but which are to be followed in conformity with the Laws contained in the “Most Holy Book,” the “Kitáb-i-Aqdas,” under which the Community of the Most Great Name will function in the near future. The Ordinance of Fasting is one of these, and its explanation as set forth by the Guardian is as follows:
“As regards fasting, it constitutes, together with the obligatory prayers, the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. They act as stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus insure its steady development.
“The ordinance of fasting is, as is the case with these three prayers1 a spiritual and vital obligation enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh upon every believer who has attained the age of fifteen. In the Aqdas He thus writes: ‘We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. He has exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous.’ And in another passage He says: ‘We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. . . . The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving
————————
1The three obligatory daily prayers, any one of which the believer is free to choose.
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suck, are not bound by the
fast. . . . Abstain from food and drink,
from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest
desire deprive you of this grace that is
appointed in the Book.’
“Also in the ‘Questions and Answers’ that form an appendix to the Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh reveals the following: ‘Verily, I say that God has appointed a great station for fasting and prayer. But during good health its benefit is evident, and when one is ill, it is not permissible to fulfill them.’ Concerning the age of maturity, He reveals in the appendix of that same book: ‘The age of maturity is in the fifteenth year; women and men are alike in this respect.’
"Regarding the vital character and importance of the Divine ordinances and laws, and the necessity of complete obedience to them by the believers, we thus read in the Gleanings, p. 175: ‘Know verily that the essence of justice and the source thereof are both embodied in the ordinance prescribed by Him Who is the Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if ye be of them that recognize this truth. He doth verily incarnate the highest, the infallible standard of justice unto all creation. Were His law to be such as to strike terror into the hearts of all that are in heaven and on earth, that law is naught but manifest justice. The fears and agitation which the revelation of this law provoke in men’s hearts should indeed be likened to the cries of the suckling babe weaned from his mother’s milk, if ye be of them that perceive . . .’
“The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days starting as a rule from the second of March every year and ending on the twentieth of the same month, involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.”—SHOGHI EFFENDI, through his secretary, Haifa, January 10, 1936.
The Annual Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Among the beloved and authentic traditions which will ever be treasured and celebrated by the Bahá’í Community of Teaneck, New Jersey, assisted by all the adjacent Communities, is the Souvenir Feast of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá inaugurated by Him on the twenty-ninth of June, 1912. It is as if He had said: “This do ye in remembrance of Me,” for in a Tablet to Mr. Roy Wilhelm ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says: “Thy letter dated July 13, 1913, was received. Its contents indicated the firmness and steadfastness of the believers of God and told of holding a divine meeting in your radiant, charming country place. Praise be to God that the day was spent in the utmost joy and happiness. That Annual Memorial Meeting will be the Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá especially when it is passed with infinite delight and gladness.” And so from year to year this Feast marks one of the cherished events in which several hundred people participate. A beautifully arranged program with music and discourses by various friends proves indeed the source of joy and delight and proves also a successful method of advancing the teachings.
During this year a notable increase is apparent in the number of attendants at the services, not only in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, but in the various centers where meetings are held in public places particularly for the purpose of attracting new people. During the notable visit of Rúḥí Effendi Afnán, that radiant expounder of the Faith, great numbers of people attended the meetings and many expressed the wish to become members of the study classes which are assiduously being carried on in every locality.
To meet the demand for information
about the Faith a quantity of literature has
been prepared and is distributed to all
inquirers. Among these pamphlets are those
of Dr. Stanwood Cobb on “Homoculture,”
Miss Marion Holley’s “Most Great Peace,”
the “Oneness of Mankind” by Hussein
Effendi Rabbání and the “Path to God” by
Mrs. Dorothy Baker. A beautifully
illustrated pamphlet on the “Bahá’í House of
Worship” with text by Dr. Genevieve Coy
[Page 124]
has attracted much
comment and admiration and is one of
which the friends may be justly proud.
"Termination of First Stage of Formative Period of Our Faith”
“Examining the year as a whole, the following events and trends seem to possess most decisive importance.
“First, the publication of ‘Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh’; second, the completion of the external decoration of the clerestory section of the dome unit; third, the formation of ten new Spiritual Assemblies, which took place near the end of last year but could not be recognized and reported to the friends until after the 1935 Convention; fourth, the intensification of teaching activities and the increased clarity and power with which the believers have promulgated the Message; fifth, the visit paid us by Rúhí Effendi Afnán; and sixth, the National Meeting at the Bahá’í House of Worship on October 26 and 27 which commemorated the completion of another stage in Temple construction and inaugurated the beginning of general conferences between the National Spiritual Assembly and the representatives of local Assemblies.
“On August 3, in response to a cablegram announcing the completion of the clerestory section, the Guardian used these significant words: ‘Gratefully rejoice closing glorious chapter marking termination first stage (of) Formative Period of our Faith. Appeal entire community henceforth concentrate its attention (and) resources (upon) activities (in the) teaching field, ensuring thereby (the) means essential for completion remaining units. Praying continually success.’
“Thus were we made conscious of the operation of the mysterious law of cycles, under which each successive period is given its lesson to learn, its task to perform, creating thereby, like the succession of classes in a school, an enlargement of capacity for the harder tasks and the more important lessons to come. The opportunity offered does not return; only to the degree that we have been faithful in acquiring the qualities characteristic of the prior period, when the administrative structure was developed and the thoughts and actions concentrated upon Temple construction, can we rise to the full height of spiritual development and service vouchsafed to us in this era of teaching. The body of the Cause in America has been created. It is for us now to pray and strive that this body be filled with the light of true faith.
“The character of the present era was in fact disclosed clearly to us in the cablegram sent to the National Spiritual Assembly for the conference at the Temple in October: ‘The forces which progressive revelation of this mighty symbol of our Faith is fast releasing in (the) heart of a sorely tried continent no one of this generation can correctly appraise. The new hour has struck in (the) history of our beloved Cause, calling for nation-wide, systematic, sustained effort in teaching field, enabling thereby these forces to be directed into such channels as shall redound to the glory of our Faith and (the) honor of its institutions.’
“Such words are as the turning of a fresh page. May we inscribe upon it the record of inner and outer achievement brought into the realm of possibility and therefore responsibility by the irresistible onward march of God’s Cause!
“The ten new communities of believers
who have established Spiritual Assemblies,
adding their force to the development of
the new world order, have surely received
the prayers and good wishes of the friends
as they assume their place in the Cause and
take up the responsibilities which rest upon
all who enter the realm of sacrifice and
unity. In the letter of greeting sent them
by the National Spiritual Assembly last
May, they were reminded of these words
written by Shoghi Effendi in 1923: ‘Though
your number . . . be small and limited, yet
by virtue of that Celestial Power bequeathed
to every one of you by our departed Master,
you are assured that ere long your small
company shall expand and wield such power
and influence as no earthly power can ever
hope for or attain. Who can doubt that
He is ever watching from His Station on
high over His scattered fold and is guiding
and strengthening His faithful lovers who
toil and labor for the fulfilment of His
[Page 125]
word and the realization
of His purpose for mankind?’
“The root of all spiritual teaching lies hidden in the soil of the quickened soul, nourished by study and devotion voluntarily attained by the individual himself, and thus the success of any general teaching plan depends entirely upon the extent to which we ourselves, as individual believers, have made intense prior effort to become firmly rooted in the spiritual Kingdom. Bahá’í teaching is the fruit of faith and the measure of unity. The Cause is perfect and the world of humanity is starved for lack of the bread of understanding and the wine of love. Therefore may we not for one moment "regard our existence in the Cause as a kind of static membership which, once attained, we hold passively for life, but rather as a dynamic opportunity that must be fulfilled by continuous advance from stage to stage without limit and without end.
"As we were told in ‘The Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh’: ‘That the Cause associated with the name of Bahá’u’lláh feeds itself upon those hidden springs of celestial strength which no force of human personality, whatever its glamor, can replace; that its reliance is solely upon that mystic Source with which no worldly advantage, be it wealth, fame, or learning, can compare; that it propagates itself by ways mysterious and utterly at variance with the standards accepted by the generality of mankind, will . . . become increasingly apparent as it forges ahead towards fresh conquests in its struggle for the spiritual regeneration of mankind.’ On the other hand, this truth does not exclude unified effort nor well-conceived general plans; it does not confine teaching to the realm of personal mysticism; rather does it reveal the necessity of imbuing our plans, whatever they are from year to year, with spiritual reality and not relying upon formal and collective measures alone.
"It was most fortunate and opportune that the American visit of Rúḥí Effendi Afnán came at the time when we were beginning to realize that the Guardian’s words on teaching involved our rise to a higher level and not merely a duplication of former attitudes and methods. While that visit, unhappily, could not extend west of Chicago, nevertheless for many communities it brought inspiration and active, fruitful assistance. His knowledge, his passionate desire to promote the teachings, his heroic endurance in carrying out the continuous schedule of meetings—all this contributed greatly to the advancement made by the Cause in America this year.
“The conference held in Temple Foundation Hall last October, which gave to so many believers an opportunity to consult on the important subjects provided by the agenda, will, it is hoped, be followed in the future by similar general Bahá’í conferences held not only in Foundation Hall but also in other parts of the country. The recommendation has been recorded in the Minutes of the National Assembly for the consideration of the incoming Assembly, that it prepare a schedule of its meetings throughout the year in advance, which schedule is to provide if possible for similar conferences with the friends on the Pacific Coast, on the Atlantic Coast, and perhaps also for those in the South. Included in the recommendation is the thought that these regional conferences should contain one or more large public meetings, like the Bahá’í Congress held at each Annual Convention, so that the consultation of the friends and the collective responsibility for teaching may be more closely linked together by the National Spiritual Assembly.
“It is interesting to note that this general plan revives and extends a policy put forward by the Assembly some ten years ago, when effort was made to hold a public meeting at the conclusion of each Assembly meeting—an effort which the pressure of work compelled the Assembly to forego after a few months. We trust that the time has now come when the idea can be developed with added energy and made a distinct aspect of Bahá’í activity.”
The Decisive Events of the Year
“Only time can determine the relative importance of matters affecting the Cause, but the following specific happenings all have more than merely temporary value.
[Page 126]
“The publication of
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.’
“The consolidation of Bahá’í control of land surrounding the Shrines on Mount Carmel.
“The completion of the entire dome unit of the House of Worship.
“The transfer to Trustees under an Indenture of the house at Malden, Mass., given to the Guardian under the Will and Testament of the late Maria Wilson—the house at which the Master rested for some time during His American visit.
"The donation to the Cause by Mr. and Mrs. John Bosch of the property at Geyserville, Calif., for use as a Bahá’í Summer School. As this property is also held under an Indenture of Trust, it makes five separate legal bodies to be administered in addition to the function of the National Spiritual Assembly itself: Temple Trustees, Green Acre Trustees, Wilhelm Trustees, Trustees for the Wilson property at Malden, and Trustees under the Indenture effected by Mr. and Mrs. Bosch.
“The second visit made to America by Rúḥí Effendi Afnán.
“The symbol of the Greatest Name has been legally protected for the Cause by trade mark registration both in the United States and Canada. The word ‘Bahá’í’ was similarly protected in the United States some years ago, and Canadian protection of it has likewise been obtained.
“The Encyclopaedia Britannica has removed the article on ‘Babiism’ which for years has conveyed a limited and in many ways inaccurate impression of the Cause and replaced it with a new article approved by the Reviewing Committee, and furthermore has provided space for a brief article under the heading ‘Bahá’í.’ These changes will appear in the next printing of the present edition, and we have the assurance that in the next edition the subject of the Bahá’í Faith will be more adequately treated than was possible in the restricted space available in the existing edition. To Miss Edna True we are indebted for the interest shown by the Editor in arranging for the two new articles.
“The increased number of American believers serving the Cause in foreign lands, and the notable services they have been privileged to render. Early in the Bahá’í year, Mrs. True and Mrs. Hoagg returned from Europe and Mr. E. R. Mathews and Mrs. Loulie Mathews from their journey through South America. The American believers now teaching abroad are: Miss Martha L. Root, Miss Lenora Holsapple, Miss Agnes Alexander, Miss Marion Jack, Mrs. Louise Gregory, Mrs. Clara Sharp, Miss Adelaide Sharp, Miss Julia Goldman, Mr. Charles Bishop and Mrs. Helen Bishop, Mrs. Anna Kunz, Miss Bertha Matthiesen, Miss Orcella Rexford, Mrs. Ruhangis Bolles, Miss Jeanne Bolles and Mr. Randolph Bolles, Jr., Mrs. May Maxwell, Miss Mary Maxwell, Mrs. Inez Greeven, Mrs. India Haggerty, Mr. Mark Tobey, Mr. George Spendlove, Mrs. Isabelle Stebbins Dodge, Mr. Dudley Blakeley, Mrs. Elsa Russell Blakeley, Mrs. Lorol Schopflocher, Mme. Gita Orlova. Thus the American Bahá’í community, through such devoted adherents, continues to perform its high mission in the Bahá’í world.
“Early in the Bahá’í year, it was the privilege of the N. S. A. to meet the boat on which Mr. and Mrs. Howard Carpenter returned from their visit to Írán.
“The more vigorous and comprehensive plans carried out by Bahá’í youth, under which groups throughout America and in many other countries held the first of a series of regional conferences, extended their services into the field of public teaching, and, by the National Youth Committee, inaugurated a new and improved Youth bulletin.
“The publication of The Bahá’í World, Vol. V, an immense undertaking, both with respect to the gathering of its contents and the cost involved in its printing, with commensurate value as an impressive evidence of the international scope of the Bahá’í community.
“The deepening in our collective realization of the importance of the three Summer Schools as instruments destined to exalt the standards of our public teaching in all local communities, and concentrate both facilities and experience for the establishment of future Bahá’í Universities.
"The publication of the first three new
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teaching pamphlets
in the series planned by
the Free Literature Committee, which when
completed will provide brief but interesting
statements on essential aspects of the Faith,
at a price so low that eventually hundreds
of thousands of copies may be distributed.
“The completion of the important task assumed by the Committee on Editing Tablets several years ago, of preparing the unpublished Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the National Archives for use in another volume of Tablets.
“The preparation of the general letters written by the Guardian for publication in two volumes instead of the one volume issued originally in 1928. Under the new plan, the letters are to be divided into two series, one with the present title of ‘Bahá’í Administration’; the other with the title ‘The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh’ and containing those letters on that subject received in more recent years. This general idea, it may be remarked, was approved by the Guardian in 1934, but the plan has been deferred until the supply of the books on hand was exhausted. The next edition of ‘Bahá’í Administration’ will contain several early letters reported this year by the Archives Committee. The ‘World Order’ volume will contain the two ‘World Order’ letters, ‘The Goal of a New World Order,’ ‘The Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh,’ ‘America and the Most Great Peace,’ ‘The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,’ and the new letter already mentioned, on ‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization.’ This latter book, as all believers recognize, traces not merely for the present Bahá’í community but also for humanity itself the golden thread of Divine destiny woven through the fabric of human life in this crucial period.
“The inclusion of an illustrated article on the Temple and the Teachings in the ‘American Guide’ series of volumes under preparation by writers in a Federal Department, which will be duplicated in the volumes covering the State of Illinois.
“The first effort to compile information concerning each individual believer in the United States and Canada by means of the ‘Historical Record’ cards distributed a few months after the last Convention.
“The possibility that Spiritual Assemblies will be established this year in the new cities of Dayton, Ohio, Springfield, Mass., and Rockford, Ill.
"Bahá’í News, it should be remarked, has been the vehicle for so many general statements and reports that there has not been space for publishing a number of interesting news items this year. The thought might be advanced that possibly in future a distinction can be made between material intended primarily for local Spiritual Assemblies, and material directed to all Bahá’ís. The material intended for the Assemblies could be issued in the form of a monthly mimeographed bulletin, while the more general information could have priority in Bahá’í News. Such a method would tend to develop Bahá’í News along the lines indicated in the letter written by the Guardian on April 10, 1925.”
General Observations
“A few general observations may be permitted, in order to learn as much as possible from our collective experience during the time since the last Convention.
“First of all, let us note that the Guardian’s communications have in several instances been directed to the individual believer, emphasizing values in the Bahá’í life which only voluntary effort can create. For example, his appeal for concentrated effort on teaching goes to the very heart of individual faith and devotion, and cannot be fulfilled by administrative effort alone. His call for an abandonment of membership in non-Bahá’í religious bodies is another appeal to the individual loyalty. In his definition of the National Fund as ‘bedrock on which all other institutions must necessarily rest and be established,’ Shoghi Effendi clearly enlarges the sphere of the individual believer’s responsibility. His letter on prayer and fasting, above all, strikes the note of personal spirituality which must distinguish our own heart’s relationship to the Divine.
“Without this personal responsibility and
continuous individual effort to advance in
spiritual realms, administrative action
would be fruitless and unavailing, a mere
exercise of defined authority and power
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without result. Only
in a common consecration to Bahá’u’lláh
can the inner as well as outer ties
between communities and
Assemblies become fulfilled in the unity for
which the Manifestation suffered all the
days of His life on earth.
"Regarding the National Fund, we have the Guardian’s expressed view that the demands upon it can be fully met by enlarging constantly the number of confirmed Bahá’ís. He does not advocate a retreat into smaller efforts and diminishing powers, but raises the golden banner heralding a determined and unflagging advance along the entire line. He has declared that none can estimate the reinforcement which the Bahá’í community, and every active believer, will receive from on high when devotion becomes motion of the spirit to share a God-given truth.
“Now we must continually seek to enlarge our conception and purify our view of the universal meaning of Bahá’í consultation, the principle underlying all our activities and sustaining our collective life. Consultation has been ordained not to enable any individual or group to bring pressure to bear upon others for the sake of attaining some predetermined aim. Consultation surely means that personal and group suggestions are advanced for the sake of contributing to the general community or Assembly discussion, and in a spirit severed from grief or dissatisfaction whatever the final decision may be. Furthermore, the law of consultation means that no matter how difficult the problem or tangled the situation which arises, all the believers concerned with it will continue their mutual contact and maintain effort to solve it until the problem has actually been removed. Those who remain absent from Nineteen Day meetings and other general Bahá’í gatherings lose the flow of life through the Bahá’í body, and after a time must necessarily become unduly individualistic or reflect the influence of the non-Bahá’í environment. The creation of unity brings sacrifice and suffering to every believer without exception. We can pay this price with gratitude and cheerfulness rather than reluctance if we realize that every experience of unhappiness or confusion we encounter in the Cause represents nothing else than opportunity for further growth in the Kingdom. To withdraw from a situation because it challenges our ego is a turning away from the healing waters that well from the Source of life and love.”
"The Unfoldment of World Civilization”
"In conclusion, a few quotations from the Guardian’s latest letter, addressed to all the friends. Its title, ‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization,’ suggests its marvelous scope as an analysis of the death of the old order and the birth of the new.
“‘The contrast between the accumulating evidences of steady consolidation that accompany the rise of the Administrative Order of the Faith of God, and the forces of disintegration which batter at the fabric of a travailing society, is as clear as it is arresting. Both within and without the Bahá’í World the signs and tokens which, in a mysterious manner, are heralding the birth of that World Order, the establishment of which must signalize the Golden Age of the Cause of God, are growing and multiplying day by day. . . .
“‘This New World Order, whose promise is enshrined in the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, whose fundamental principles have been enunciated in the writings of the Center of His Covenant, involves no less than the complete unification of the entire human race. . . . No machinery falling short of the standard inculcated by the Bahá’í Revelation, and at variance with the sublime pattern ordained in His teachings, which the collective efforts of mankind may yet devise can ever hope to achieve anything above or beyond that “Lesser Peace” to which the Author of our Faith has Himself alluded in His writings. . . . The Most Great Peace on the other hand, as conceived by Bahá’u’lláh—a peace that must inevitably follow as the practical consequence of the spiritualization of the world and the fusion of all its races, creeds, classes and nations—can rest on no other basis, and can be preserved through no other agency, except the divinely appointed ordinances that are implicit in the World Order that stands associated with His holy name.’
"'The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, whose
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Recent Views of the Castle of Máh-Kú where the Báb was confined.
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supreme mission is
none other but the
achievement of this organic and spiritual
unity of the whole body of nations, should,
if we be faithful to its implications, be
regarded as signalizing through its advent
the coming of age of the entire human race.
It should be viewed not merely as yet
another spiritual revival in the
ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a
further stage in a chain of progressive
Revelations, nor even as the culmination of
one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles,
but rather as marking the last and highest
stage in the stupendous evolution of man’s
collective life on this planet. The
emergence of a world community, the
consciousness of world citizenship,
the founding of a world civilization
and culture—all of
which must synchronize with the initial
stages in the unfoldment of the Golden
Age of the Bahá’í era—should, by their
very nature, be regarded, as far as this
planetary life is concerned, as the
furthermost limits in the organization of human
society, though man, as an individual, will,
nay must indeed as a result of such a
consummation, continue indefinitely to
progress and develop.’
“‘For the revelation of so great a favor a period of intense turmoil and widespread suffering would seem to be indispensable. Resplendent as has been the Age that has witnessed the inception of the Mission with which Bahá’u’lláh has been entrusted, the interval which must elapse ere that Age yields its choicest fruit must, it is becomingly increasingly apparent, be overshadowed by such moral and social gloom as can alone prepare an unrepentant humanity for the prize she is destined to inherit. . . . Deep as is the gloom that already encircles the world, the afflictive ordeals which that world is to suffer are still in preparation, nor can their blackness be as yet imagined. We stand on the threshold of an age whose convulsions proclaim alike the death-pangs of the old order and the birth—pangs of the new.’
“Such is the tremendous vista revealed to us by the Guardian’s power to open the door upon the movements of destiny! Nothing that is merely human nature can possibly sustain the shock of the collapse as the pillars of the false temple are thrown from their foundations by an Almighty power. Only the Cause of God can endure—the Cause that moves forward by the sincerity of its believers and their whole-souled unity in a Divine Faith.”
GENEVA SCANS THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
BY HELEN BISHOP
THE International Bahá’í Bureau in Geneva is a secretariat constituted to serve the eight hundred centers of the Bahá’í World Community, and to be a bureau of information on the Cause.
The Bureau exercises no authority whatsoever; neither is it subject to the jurisdiction of any local or National Assembly. Although our local teaching activity aims at the eventual formation of a Local Spiritual Assembly, the Bureau’s sphere is international and its function cannot be impaired.
The prerogative of the Bureau and its obligation to Assemblies is that same Law of Consultation, which Bahá’u’lláh has legislated to harmonize affairs, and to solve the human problems arising through the interaction of the individual and the group.
Not in any way is the Bureau staff to be confused with elected administrative bodies. Its function is essentially an intermediary one to such elected bodies, as well as to other centers and even individuals. Our Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, has summarized:
"Geneva is auxiliary to the Center in Haifa. It does not assume the place of Haifa, but is auxiliary. It exercises no international authority; it does not try to impose, but helps and acts as intermediary between Haifa and other Bahá’í centers. It is international because it links the different countries; it is like a distributing center.” (Bahá’í World, Vol. IV, p. 261.)
A life—sketch of this Bahá’í institution is
available in the (Bahá’í World, Vol. IV.
More recent happenings include the arrival
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of Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Bishop in April
of 1934. They came to work under the
direction of Mrs. Emogene Hoagg, there to
reinforce the efforts of Miss Lentz and Mrs.
Lynch, two members of staff who had
carried the Bureau routine for years. The
former is German by birth, the latter
Russian; both are versed in languages.
In July of 1934, Mrs. Hoagg, under medical orders and with the permission of Shoghi Effendi, withdrew from the Bureau on extended leave of absence. This rest she has strenuously earned by years of pioneer work for the Cause in Italy and Geneva.
Foremost among the Bureau’s champions is Miss Julia Culver, now in California. These many years Miss Culver has assumed the quiet task of financing a diminutive institution in Geneva, reputedly one of the high-priced capitals of the world. The only other regular subscriber is Shoghi Effendi, who sends nine pounds sterling every month to keep us on the credit side of the ledger.
Inasmuch as the Bahá’í traveler invariably greets us, “After all, what goes on in the Bureau?", decorum allows that we make reply and state what the Bureau’s mechanism of service entails.
(a) A modest charity, sometimes material, but habitually the patient interview and encouragement of that inevitable drift of wanderers and maladjusted personalities, who are drawn into any religious stronghold that keeps an open door on a public street.
(b) Attendance at the public sessions of the League of Nations, and cooperation with international societies which are not committed to party politics. The Bureau is absolutely non-partisan, and free from political entanglements actual or conversational.
(c) The persistent effort to contact international workers, and all lesser personalities, who can be led from the universal social Principles revealed by Bahá’u’lláh to the recognition of His divine Manifestation.
(d) Translations of the Teachings and other required materials into Esperanto, Spanish, Italian, Russian, French, German, and English. Materials for the Bureau’s own use are translated independently; but translations for publication are made in collaboration with Assemblies, more particularly of late with the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria.
(e) The publication of a news Bulletin, heretofore occasional, in French, German, and English, to the number of five hundred copies.
(f) A world correspondence in various languages including Esperanto, supplying information or dealing with matters pertaining to the Bahá’í Faith. This is more intimately directed to isolated Bahá’ís and Assemblies of the continent, who are pressing for a firmer grasp of the Principles supporting the Administrative Order of Bahá’í Faith.
(g) The distribution of free literature to callers, or in response to letters of request; besides, the sale and distribution of all Bahá’í books when ordered. The maintenance of a free reading and lending Library, opened daily for morning and afternoon hours, is a prime feature of the Bureau. Incidentally, the enlargement of our Library depends upon the continuous donations made by the Bureau’s friends, and the Assemblies of the Orient and Occident.
(h) The entertainment of visiting Bahá’ís or their acquaintances, who bring cards of introduction. The weekly tea and social hour, sometimes with music, is the most conspicuous of Bureau pleasures,and, more seriously, the prolific field of Bahá’ís-to—be: “. . . for association is the cause of unity; and unity is the source of order in the world.” (Bahá’u’lláh)
(i) The conduct of a weekly evening meeting for the public, wherein the Teachings are presented in accordance with a program, published and issued to individuals and societies. This direct Bahá’í method is varied by an occasional guest speaker on some universal perspective of today’s work.
Since the Riḍván Season 1934, which is
the time limit fixed for the commencement
of this survey, visitors and guest speakers,
who have contributed to the meetings,
include: Professor Pitman Potter, instructor
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in international law
and member of a
juridical Commission under the League of
Nations; Miss Emily Balch, International
Secretary of the Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom; Madame
Dreyfus-Barney, member of the Intellectual
Cooperation Commission of the League of
Nations; Dr. Kenneth Saunders of
Columbia University, author of
The Ideals of East and West;
Swami Yatiswarananda of
the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Order; Mrs.
Lorne Matteson; Dr. and Madame Fozdar
of Bombay; the late Mr. Chatterjee, head
of the Information Office of the League of
Nations; Mr. Mountfort Mills; several
leaders in the Esperanto Movement; Bahá’ís
from Írán.
However, Miss Julia Goldman has been the traveling Bahá’í teacher most frequently associated with Mrs. Bishop in the conduct of this teaching work. In April of 1934, later in September through March of 1935, in September of 1935, Miss Goldman was in Geneva cultivating the field of contacts. The orbit of Miss Goldman’s activity extends to Florence, Paris, Brussels, in collaboration with the Princess Aussenacde-Broglie; England, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and some of the Bahá’í centers in Germany, in collaboration with Mrs. Jeanne Bolles.
The archetype of traveling teachers is Miss Martha L. Root. After the publication of the modern Greek version of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era [Athens, May 1934], she passed through the Balkan cities to Vienna, where the Assembly arranged meetings for her. She and Miss Lydia Zamenhof presented the Bahá’í Faith at the International Esperanto Congress held in Stockholm, August 4th to the 11th, 1934. In Oslo, Norway, Miss Root assisted Miss Johanna Schubarth in the wide distribution of the latter’s translation of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, published in April, 1935. Now she is translating the Kitáb-i-Íqán into Norwegian.
Throughout this period publicity was activated in Denmark, Sweden and Norway by some leading newspapers, which reviewed the aims and Principles of the Cause. Among the fine interviews were those accorded to Mrs. Stuart French, who made excellent contacts during two seasons of the northern cruise. In Copenhagen, Miss Johanna Sorenson keeps alive the interest stimulated by these traveling teachers.
His Majesty, King Haakon, granted Miss Root an audience at the Royal Palace in Oslo on May 9th, 1935. Previously, His Majesty, the King of Denmark, had accepted Bahá’í literature presented by Mrs. Louise Erickson. She was granted an audience by Crown Prince Adolph of Sweden. Among celebrities, Dr. Sven Hedin, noted for explorations and Chinese archaeology, encountered another Bahá’í and accepted literature. A Swedish composer, Count Wachmeister, is an ardent friend to the Cause and attends meetings in Paris. That Bahá’í soul, brave “Man of the Trees,” Richard St. Barbe Baker, did good work in Scandinavia in January, 1935.
Activity is always propitious, but the arrival of Mrs. Louise Erickson in Scandinavia in February, 1933, is particularly so. The Master designated her to lift the spade of broken earth in the name of Scandinavia, when He dedicated the Universal House of Worship at Wilmette, Illinois, in 1912. She and Miss Root are now teaching in Finland, where indications are promising because observers agree that its folk are characterized by a high seriousness and an Oriental strain of religious insight.
During the summer months of 1935, Miss Root was acclaimed in Iceland. She wrote that a friend at Reykjavik, won by Mrs. Thomas Collins with a booklet, became the open door through which all subsequent reception was offered: interviews, lectures, radio broadcasting, publicity. Thereby is a tale lively and gratifying, recent data towards the precept that a Bahá’í may not neglect to “. . . make mention of Me on My earth”; for only the “Essayer of Entities” can determine afore-time the seeker’s perception or the individual’s share in this universal Cause.
Holland is waiting for Miss Root’s visit.
There she will be equipped with the Dutch
translations of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era
and the Hidden Words. The latter is the
excellent work of Captain Leyden, his first
translation of a Text from Bahá’u’lláh.
Both publications are gifts made during this
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period by Mr. and Mrs.
Max Greeven of Bremen, supplemented
by a donation from Shoghi Effendi.
To proceed with this enumeration of outposts: in Brussels, Belgium, a first—rate teacher, Mrs. May Maxwell, is active with Miss Mary Maxwell. No doubt, they will rally a group and hold regular meetings, for such is their record elsewhere.
Esthonia has its family of Bahá’ís, first led to the Cause by the Nova Tago. In Praha, Czechoslovakia, a Bahá’í cooperates with Esperantists, and brings peace movements some cognizance of the Bahá’í Faith. In Budapest, there are those who cherish the remembrance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s presence there. Nor is Bahá’u’lláh left without a witness in Albania, for Mr. Refo Chapary translates and teaches in Gjinokaster. Meanwhile, the Delegate from Albania to the League of Nations, M. Kurti, stands for the ennobling spiritual and humanitarian Principles represented by the Bahá’í Movement.
Other centers in the Balkans require only the presence of a moving Bahá’í spirit to guide interest to the height of consecration. Mrs. Louise Gregory has been working in Belgrade courageously; and, at this writing, her return is immediate. Before her departure at the end of April in 1935, new Bahá’ís were declared; and a study class of six Russian students was formed.
Madame Draga Ilié became a Bahá’í when she translated Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era into Serbian. A manuscript translation of Some Answered Questions into Croatian was made at the Bureau in Geneva, and sent to Belgrade for circulation. The outlook is more than hopeful: Mrs. Gregory finds the Jugoslavs to be “. . . the most responsive I have found in any of the countries of Europe.”
At a still more concrete stage is the status quo in Bulgaria. Miss Marion Jack, knowing only French and English, but endowed by the Master with a winning spirit and a patience that subdues oppositions, has succeeded in the formation of a Spiritual Assembly, the first in the Balkans, elected in Sofia in July, 1934 by a Community of thirty or more.
In that Community men of professions and able translators, former Theosophists, and an Esperanto leader, are working together with less talented folk. Interesting meetings are arranged to draw from a sympathetic circle double the size of the Community. Now, the Spiritual Assembly of Sofia is reaching out to further the teaching work in Varna, Dubnitza, Plovdiv, and Starazagora.
Miss Jack describes the Bulgarians as open-minded and of religious temperament. Poised mid-way between Occident and Orient, they are singularly free from insular, cultural prejudices. This acceptance of the Prophetic Message recalls the genuine religious passion with which they received Cyril and Methodius, the Christian Apostles sent out from Constantinople. In the ninth century, by the conversion of the sovereign, Khán Boris, the people embraced Orthodoxy; and Bulgaria became an independent Church. Íránian religion has been known there before, but it was a sophisticate and decadent form of it with which Bulgaria grappled from the tenth through the twelfth centuries (i.e. Manichaeism, “The Bogomil Heresy”). Martyrdoms, too. The poetic temperament ever seeks the romance of religion. Conflicts are the index of aliveness.
If, through the informing Principles of the Bahá’í Administrative Order, and the discipline of membership in World Community, a profound, religious subjectivity be converted into Unity—then Bulgaria may find a sublime destiny in the Commonwealth of the Nations.
In Italy, Bahá’ís are to be found in Rome and Florence. In Rapallo, at New Year 1935, the Bahá’í Faith was introduced by two talks given at the villa of an American singer, Mrs. Ephra Townley. Brigadier General MacGeorge, who was in command of troops in Írán during the World War, was glad to hear of a Cause which fostered understanding and unity between East and West.
Mr. Ezra Pound admires ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,—and met Him in London. A compelling poet, Mr. Pound has abandoned poetry to cry out for “Social Credit,” and applaud Movements to spiritualize man’s material life.
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At the International
Esperanto Congress,
which traveled through the Italian cities
during the week of August 3, 1935, Miss
Lidja Zamenhof presented the Bahá’í
Teachings.
In Genoa, there is published in Italian a brilliant monthly review, which gives a world perspective on cultural, social, and spiritual achievements. Exchange of literature from the Bureau, and a somewhat detailed correspondence with its Editor, Professor Lorenzo Caboara, becomes an index of the depths of pure consciousness resident in Italy, and directed towards the emergence of a New World Order based upon justice—and for humanity.
In France, the Spiritual Assembly of Paris holds the largest regular meetings, and these according to high standard. Brilliant intellectual feats are performed by the students from Írán, who select one of the youth group to prepare and read a paper at their own monthly meeting, sometimes attended by as many as fifty guests. This Union of Bahá’í Students in Europe holds a yearly conference in Paris. At the Conference at Christmas time, 1934, the program developed a correlation between the Bahá’í Cause and essential world-trends.
The activities of an Armenian Bahá’í in Marseilles have yielded a group which meets regularly. In Lyon, a study group of seven has been brought together by the combined efforts of Madame Borel, Miss Lidja Zamenhof, and M. Ezzatolláh Khán Zabíh of Iṣfahán. From Toulouse and Nancy, where Bahá’ís from Írán are residents, we anticipate further reports of teaching activity.
A tract entitled Le Bahá’ísme—son histoire—sa portée mondiale, and the new edition of L’essai sur le Bahá’ísme, revised and annotated by Madame Dreyfus-Barney, are up-to-date equipment for the teaching work in France,—and throughout Europe as French is still the secondary language.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the British Isles appointed a National Teaching Committee in the spring of 1935, under the chairmanship of Mr. F. St. George Spendlove. By assisting resident teachers, and extending the orbit of traveling teachers, this Committee plans to draw the groups of the provinces into closer cooperation with London. To that end, a northern representative was selected from Manchester, one of the oldest and strongest centers, much visited by the late Dr. Esslemont, the Americans and the Persians. Its earliest Bahá’í, Mr. E. T. Hall, completes this year his first quarter-century in teaching the Cause.
Meanwhile, in London, Mrs. Basil Hall’s Drama of the Kingdom and the challenging Promise of All Ages have been published. The variety and charm of the meetings have increased during this two-year period; and the flow of visitors from other countries has been constant.
At last the Youth Group has been properly organized for regular meetings of study or sociability. It numbers twenty-five and counts some fine Íránian students among its members.
In October of 1935, the new Center in London was opened. It is more artistic and offers spacious quarters for meetings. In that same month the Committee sent forth a teacher to all the groups and their friends, more particularly to deepen the understanding of the evolving Administrative Order. All in all, the hour is auspicious and marks the time in which to increase the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the British Isles.
In Germany, on the other hand, teaching on a grand scale is not feasible now. In October of 1934, the government gave permission for the Bahá’ís to hold meetings throughout Germany, but these gatherings are necessarily invitational to Bahá’ís and their friends. In some cities a police commissioner attends special meetings.
Exceptional successes were as follows: the Feast of Bahá’u’lláh commemorated in Stuttgart on November 12th, 1934, consisting of poetry, music, and addresses offered to an audience of several hundred; the public session of the Convention at Riḍván, 1935; the conference held in Berlin at Whitsuntide, 1935, for representatives of the northern centers.
By far the most spectacular teaching
project is the yearly Summer Week at
Esslingen, near Stuttgart. Besides the
orientation courses, and Bahá’í Teachings,
the Administration has been presented
during the seasons of 1934 and 1935. The
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School draws visitors
from Írán, America
and Europe; and it is, indeed, among the
rememberable adventures of a Bahá’í on the
continent.
Today, the program of activity in Germany is four—fold: 1) translations and publications; 2) the subjective deepening in the Faith and the Unity; 3) the centralization of authority in the National Spiritual Assembly and the direction of its strength to the Assemblies and groups; 4) declaring the Manifestation to those who will hear.
This last is, in the deepest sense, the imperative throughout the countries under review here. To us it seems that Europe’s spiritual oppression is too far advanced to admit of conversion in the mass: if souls escape the dismal atmosphere of religious orthodoxy, they are too frequently trapped in the sterility of a bitter unfaith. Prejudices abound, subtle and amazingly complex —prejudices of religion, class, nation, race, besides the refined prejudices of history, tradition, and culture.
Addresses to the public notwithstanding, teaching in Europe at this eleventh hour resolves ultimately into the penetration of being in quest of souls inwardly taught and prepared by God for His Manifestation:
“. . I saw another angel ascending from the East, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice . . . ‘Hurt not the earth . . . until we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.’ ” (Revelation VII)
The followers of the Most Great Name are “. . . fighting the lawful and great fight for the prize of a high calling,” but the Victory does not depend upon them. Great world events, predestined by God, are happening. Others will follow in rapid succession to alter life and manners at the roots; and, through that radical transformation, there will finally emerge the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.