Bahá’í World/Volume 8/United States and Canada Annual Report 1939-1940
ANNUAL REPORT—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
1939-1940
FOR three successive years the American Bahá’í community has responded with all its force to the requirements of the world mission which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá defined and the Guardian has made a matter of spiritual and administrative action. Only during the current year have we realized the vital importance of that mission and its role in making possible the advent of Divine Justice. The Guardian’s letter on Divine Justice, published shortly before the 1939 Convention, has raised our spirits to the exalted plane on which alone so consecrated a task can be undertaken. Significant it is that in growing more conscious of the scope and arena of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, we have begun to be somewhat aware of what is meant by the endeavor to be a Bahá’í.
Above and beyond the realm of outer achievement, therefore, the year now ending has brought us face to face with the spiritual privilege of becoming mature in our faith, firm in our understanding, reverent in our attitude, humble in our feeling, consciously active in our daily lives.
Immersed in the depths of the Guardian’s call for consecration to be instruments for the establishment of true justice on earth, active in response to the definite plans adopted for the third year of the seven year plan, we came this year to that hour of fatality for man, the beginning of the final phase of the titanic struggle between the nations, the outbreak of savagery in human life, the dread encounter with Destiny, the Armageddon wherein the perverted will of man is at last to be overthrown. Thus a quality of responsibility has been quickened during the current year which betokens a more mature stage in the life of the Bahá’í community.
The significance of this period was anticipated and defined for us by the Guardian’s reply to the message cabled to him by the Thirty-first Annual Convention: “Momentous deliberations of Thirty-first Convention opening sterner, more glorious chapter in corporate life of ever-advancing, steadily-expanding American Bahá’í community.” For the greater difficulties to be met, a greater power and capacity has been assured.
"Sterner, More Glorious Chapter”
The year has brought forth a number of great events and conditions to bear witness to the swift working of a superhuman Power.
The outbreak of armed hostilities
has already been mentioned. We
know that nothing can stay this
world conflagration except
the universal principles of human relations
created by Bahá’u’lláh. Day by day the
people come nearer to a conscious
understanding of the dire need in
which they stand. The
work of Bahá’í teaching deepens and
augments day by day to meet this desperate
need. The inner peace and assurance of a
Bahá’í is a candle burning in the dark.
People will turn to the light when they
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realize that the sun
of their worldly hopes has set forever.
But the condition of international disturbance has its grave effects upon the Bahá’í community itself. Here in North America, for example, our community forms part of two distinct political systems, one of them part of an international commonwealth, the other localized to one continent. To maintain perfect spiritual communication, active cooperation and identity of common purpose throughout this Bahá’í community, we must rise more and more above the pressure of public opinion and stand upon the sacred and inviolable ground of faith in His Message and in the World Order He has ordained.
But of far more gravity is the implication conveyed to us by Shoghi Effendi in his cablegram of August 30, 1939: “Shades (of) night descending (upon) imperilled humanity inexorably deepening. American believers, heirs (of) Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant, prosecutors (of) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Plan, (are) confronted (by) supreme opportunity (to) vindicate indestructibility (of their) Faith, inflexibility (of their) resolution, incorruptibility (of their) sanctity (for the) appointed task. Anxiously, passionately entreat them, whatever obstacles (the) march (of) tragic events may create, however distressing (the) barriers (which the) predicted calamities raise between them and (their) sister communities, and possibly (their) Faith’s World Center, unwaveringly hold aloft (the) Torch whose infant Light heralds the birth (of the) effulgent World Order destined (to) supplant disrupting civilization.”
Must we repeat in our lives that tragic separation from the creative Center of the Faith which was the tragic result of the European War in cutting off the beloved Master from the American Bahá’ís? Are we to vindicate our more matured faith and the power of our administrative order by proving that interruption of outer, physical intercourse can not produce any deterioration in the quality of our understanding nor in the character of our collective effort? Will not the Guardian be with us always in the principles he has clarified, the institutions he has fostered, the unity he has built and the inspiration he has released? Whatever betide, he has given to the Bahá’ís all that they need to press forward to the goals he pointed out in The Advent of Divine Justice, that source of inexhaustible guidance for the Bahá’ís of the West.
The passing of Martha L. Root, first to respond to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s unveiling of the Divine Plan, has placed its indelible mark upon the current Bahá’í year. Of this soul Shoghi Effendi declared in his cablegram of October 3: “Martha’s unnumbered admirers throughout Bahá’í world lament with me (the) earthly extinction (of) her heroic life. Concourse on high acclaim her elevation (to) rightful position (in) galaxy (of) Bahá’í immortals. Posterity will establish her as foremost Hand which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s will has raised up (in) first Bahá’í century. Present generation (of) her fellow-believers recognize her (to be the) first, finest fruit (which the) Formative Age (of the) Faith (of) Bahá’u’lláh has as yet produced. Advise hold befitting memorial gathering (in) Temple (to) honor one whose acts shed imperishable lustre (on) American Bahá’í community. Impelled share with National Assembly expenses (of) erection (of) monument (in) symbolic spot, (the) meeting-place of East (and) West, to both of which she unsparingly dedicated (the) full force (of her) mighty energies.”
Indeed, through the travels and unstinted
teaching of Martha Root the American
Bahá’í community attained the honor of
serving the Faith throughout the world. In
her a basis was laid for Bahá’í teachings in
South America. In her the nations of
Europe, Africa, the Near East, the Far East,
Australia, New Zealand and the isles of the
sea even to Iceland made contact with the
Message of Bahá’u’lláh. But only the
Guardian’s words can pay to such a spirit the
tribute its accomplishments in this world
have earned. It is for us to realize what faith
can do when it comes to dominate a human
personality and open doors to the entrance
of higher than human aims and powers.
Once again is a memorial to be built for the
grave of an America Bahá’í who died on the
very field of spiritual battle, whose services
had made her a Hand of the Cause. To the
reverence we have paid to the passing of
Keith Ransom-Kehler in Isphahan we add
now a deeper reverence as Martha Root’s frail
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remains go back to earth
in Honolulu, meeting-place of East and West.
The decision to take legal action for the protection of the sacred rights of the Bahá’í community represents a culmination of one aspect of the evolution of the Faith in recent years which the newer believers have had little occasion to consider or understand. To the older Bahá’ís, however, the preservation of the basis of the unity and integrity of the community is a matter vital to faith and inseparable from the experience of loyalty and service to the Cause. For they have witnessed actual efforts to deny the validity of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s mission and question the authority of His station. They have realized vividly and poignantly how the very existence of the Faith depends on loyalty to whosoever has received appointment from the Manifestation. They have experienced the necessity of gathering their forces in order to assert the truth and preserve the community from destruction. Such an experience is forever unforgettable, for it means that conscious choice has been made between light and darkness in the spiritual world.
In one form or another, no doubt, no generation of true believers can be spared the necessity of that supreme decision, the recurrence of which seems so essential if the deeper elements of the spiritual life—the struggle and the victory—are to be preserved on earth. Thus has the privilege come for the newer Bahá’ís to realize that the universe is founded on reward and punishment, and not on a superficial idea of divine benevolence, and that the spirit of faith in choosing the good rejects the evil, and that understanding of the Faith must include knowledge of the working of its deniers.
The occasion for the legal action is definite and clear: the claim on the part of non-Bahá’ís that there are no qualifications of faith in this Cause, but any one is a Bahá’í who asserts that he is; and that there is no criterion by which to distinguish between authentic Bahá’í literature and literature which some one assumes is Bahá’í; and that there is no basis nor foundation in the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh for the Bahá’í community, with its institutions, its functions and its collective powers and responsibilities grounded in authentic Books and Tablets. In brief, the situation which has arisen is that persons who formerly were believers but who withdrew from the Cause have denied the authority of the Master’s Will and Testament. On no other grounds than denial of that mighty Testament can their actions be understood. No compromise is possible. The Bahá’í community will assert the truth, and the issue can be left to God. The Will and Testament itself is a victory over those who violated the Covenant in the Master’s lifetime, and the Will and Testament invokes divine wrath upon all who seek to destroy what He sacrificed His entire life and being to build.
It would be well if local Assemblies could arrange meetings for the study of the Tablets which interpret the meaning of the Covenant. Those Tablets are a vital part of the teachings which in recent years have been neglected through our need to concentrate upon immediate tasks.
Another expression of the character of this Bahá’í year has been the action of the National Spiritual Assembly in transferring its headquarters to the Temple area, an action conforming to statements in the Master’s Tablets known as America’s Spiritual Mission and to passages in the Guardian’s general communications. Thus, in The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pages 156-157, we find this passage: “The seat round which its humanitarian and administrative activities will cluster are the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and its Dependencies.” The project was adopted subject to the Guardian’s specific as well as general approval, and this arrived in a cablegram received June 22, 1939: “Delighted welcome transference (to) Temple area. Loving appreciation.”
Something of the inner significance of the
move appears in a passage which Shoghi
Effendi wrote as long ago as October 25, 1929,
when teaching us the importance of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as a
Bahá’í institution:
“Divorced from the social, humanitarian,
educational and scientific pursuits centering
around the Dependencies of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Bahá’í
worship, however exalted
in its conception, however passionate in
fervor, can never hope to achieve beyond the
meagre and often transitory results produced
by the contemplations of the ascetic or the
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communion of the passive
worshiper. It cannot afford lasting
satisfaction and benefit to
the worshiper himself, much less to humanity
in general, unless and until translated and
transfused into that dynamic and disinterested
service to the cause of humanity which
it is the supreme privilege of the
Dependencies of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
to facilitate and promote. Nor
will the exertions, no
matter how distinterested and
strenuous, of those who within the
precincts of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
will be engaged in administering
the affairs of the future Bahá’í
Commonwealth, fructify and prosper unless they
are brought into close and daily communion
with those spiritual agencies centering in and
radiating from the central Shrine of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. . . . For
it is assuredly
upon the consciousness of the efficacy of the
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, reinforced on one
hand by spiritual communion with His
Spirit, and on the other by the intelligent
application and the faithful execution of the
principles and laws He revealed,
that the salvation of a world in
travail must ultimately depend.”
A fundamental principle has thus been given a new application in the development of the Bahá’í community—a principle established by Bahá’u’lláh, and not found in any prior age.
On October 3 the Guardian thus characterized the Assembly’s action in a cabled message: “Hail historic act signalizing auspicious conjunction (in) heart (of) North American continent (of the) institutions (of) Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds (and) Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, (the) twin foci (of) steadily evolving American Bahá’í community life. (The) former henceforth regarded as national Seat upon which all administrative channels (of) Bahá’í activity must increasingly converge. (The) latter permanently recognized (as) ordained Source from which rays (of) spiritual guidance will radiate. Upon (the) vigorous, constant inter-action (of the) dynamic forces which these complementary institutions embodying administrative machinery and incarnating (the) Soul (of the) Bahá’í community can release (the) effectual prosecution (of the) Seven Year Plan as well as (the) success (of) ultimate World Mission unquestionably depends. May (the) community responsible (for the) establishment (of) these nascent institutions progressively contribute (to) acceleration (of) their growth and derive fullest benefit (from) their eventual fruition.”
“Events of such capital institutional significance,” the Guardian informed the Bahá’ís of the West in his general communication dated December 21, 1939, “as only future happenings, steadily and mysteriously unfolding at the world center of our Faith, can adequately demonstrate,” were constituted by the transfer of the “sacred remains of the brother and mother of our Lord and Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Mount Carmel and their final interment within the hallowed precincts of the Shrine of the Báb.”
That communication, published under title of The Spiritual Potencies of That Consecrated Spot, has been one of the blessings and portents of the Bahá’í year. By that dramatic contrast which is one of the essential characteristics of the Cause of God in all epochs, we were able to perceive the hallowed and miraculous element of spiritual life in the sacrificial devotion rendered to Bahá’u’lláh by the Purest Branch and the Most Exalted Leaf, in such complete opposition to the element represented by those who, having once believed, turn back in denial and betrayal of their trust. Moreover, the Guardian parted for us the veils of mystery sufficient to enable us to realize that the institutions of the Faith unfold only to the degree that they are nourished by the blood of those who both know and adore their Author. A divine civilization draws nigh to men as men draw nigh to God.
How mysterious to the materialist is this
statement which the Guardian included in
the letter: “. . . The conjunction of the
resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf with
those of her brother and mother incalculably
reinforces the spiritual potencies of
that consecrated Spot . . .” Or these
words: “. . .At this troubled stage
in world history the
association of these three incomparably precious
souls who, next to the three Central Figures
of our Faith, tower in rank above the vast
multitude of the heroes, Letters, martyrs,
hands, teachers and administrators of the
Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, in such a potentially
powerful spiritual and administrative Center
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is in itself an event
which will release forces
that are bound to hasten the emergence in a
land which, geographically, spiritually and
administratively, constitutes the heart of the
entire planet, of some of the brightest gems
of that World Order now shaping in the
womb of this travailing age.”
It is good for us, dear friends, to pause frequently and realize that the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh is a mystery, an ocean of significance and a sea of creative power, not a creed, not a church, not a civilization alone. Through our capacity to revere the followers who stand high above ourselves we may, let us hope, draw nearer to that supreme mystery than we can by employing our reason alone.
Finally, the Bahá’í year now drawing to a close has been made significant through the martyrdom of May Maxwell while engaged in serving the cause of Inter-America teaching at Rio de Janeiro. This event was interpreted by the Guardian in his cablegram of March 3, 1940:
“‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s beloved handmaid, distinguished disciple May Maxwell (is) gathered (into the) glory (of the) Abhá Kingdom. Her earthly life, so rich, eventful, incomparably blessed, (is) worthily ended. To (the) sacred tie her signal services had forged, (the) priceless honor (of a) martyr’s death (is) now added. (A) double crown deservedly won. (The) Seven Year Plan, particularly (the) South American campaign, derives fresh impetus (from the) example (of) her glorious sacrifice. Southern outpost (of) Faith greatly enriched through association (with) her historic resting place destined remain (a) poignant reminder (of the) resistless march (of the) triumphant army (of) Bahá’u’lláh. Advise believers (of) both Americas (to) hold befitting memorial gathering.”
The next day came this cablegram from Rúḥíyyih Khánum with its incomparable fragrance of heroic sacrifice and faith: "Humbly grateful beloved mother answered Guardian’s call, turned southward (and) sacrificed (her) life (for the) Holy Faith. Beg prayers (her) daughter may follow her footsteps.”
In the presence of so many and so glorious evidences, testimonies and portents, can we not glimpse something of the Guardian’s intent as he cabled these words received January 16, 1940: "The fateful forties, pregnant (for) weal (and) woe (are) ushered in. (The) American believers enter them firmly rooted (in the) fertile soil (of the) administrative order (and) bountifully nourished (by the) vital sap (of the) animation (of) its institutions, spreading its sheltering shadow (to the) farthest corners (of the) Western Hemisphere. Centenary (of the) Birth (of the) Faith (is) approaching. Victories unsuspected (are) within reach (of) community. (The) sooner (they are) achieved, (the) sharper (the) contrast offered (with) distracting miseries afflicting (a) generation (which) Faith alone can (and) must eventually redeem.”
The Third Year of the Seven Year Plan
The newly-elected National Spiritual Assembly, meeting directly after the Convention, had before it the Guardian’s cabled advice received April 28, 1939: Settlement (of the) Central American republics (is) next step (in) progressive, systematic penetration (of) Latin America. Upsurge (of) Bahá’u’lláh’s impelling Spirit can not, will not, be stemmed (nor) impeded. Methodical advance along (the) line traced (by) pen (of) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá irresistible. Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Dominica (and) Haiti immediate objectives. Though politically unsettled, religiously intolerant, socially backward (and) climatically inhospitable, these unexplored territories hold forth inestimable prizes (for) audacious adventures (in the) path (of) Bahá’í service. Dearly-beloved Martha’s unrivalled experience, indomitable faith (and) indefatigable labors will soon reinforce (the) powers released (for) contemplated campaign. Task admittedly laborious, hour laden with fate, privilege incomparable, precious divinely-promised aid unfailing, reward predestined immeasurable. Appeal all believers, white and Negro alike, (to) arise (and) assume rightful responsibilities. Urge prolongation (of) sessions (of) Convention (to) enable delegates (to) exercise (their) inalienable right (to) deliberate (and) formulate recommendations designed (to) aid incoming National
Recently purchased historical site where the four Bahá’í martyrs of ‘Iráq, Írán, lie buried.
Assembly resolutely (to) prosecute (this) momentous enterprise. Fervor (of) prayers intensified.
In the light of this message, and the opportunities afforded by the remarkable progress in Temple construction during the two previous years, the Assembly prepared and reported the following plan of action for the third year of the Seven Year Plan:—
Now the National Spiritual Assembly, after studying the recommendations of the delegates and the reports of committees, presents to the American Bahá’í community the schedule of tasks deemed vitally important for the third year of the Seven Year Plan, the 96th year of the Bahá’í Era.
I. The Annual Budget laid before the believers is $150,000.00. Of this, $35,000 is required for International and Administrative Activities, including property maintenance and committee budgets other than teaching; to be devoted to teaching in North and South America, $40,000; and for continuance of Temple construction through the Bahíyyih Khánum Fund, the amount necessary to maintain the schedule is $75,000.
II. Inter-America Teaching. These activities include the following items: Training of teachers; Spanish correspondence; bulletins in English and Spanish; a Reference Library; translation and publication of Bahá’í literature in Spanish; projects for settlement of new countries; publicity for Latin-American press.
III. Teaching in North America. Under this general title the American believers are responsible for the maintenance of a large number of facilities and activities. These must be properly coordinated and made to function vigorously in concentration of effort upon the common aim. Among the items to be noted are:
A. The development of administrative communities in the areas which still lack a Spiritual Assembly.
B. World’s Fair Exhibits. These are in active operation, and are producing lists of interested persons.
C. State Fair Exhibits. A traveling exhibit is in preparation, and schedule of Fairs is being developed to the extent of our financial capacity.
D. Teaching literature—a field which can be greatly developed. It includes special bulletins, study outlines, the series of teaching literature pamphlets, the use of THE BAHÁ’Í WORLD, Vol. VII, etc.
E. Establishment of Latin-American activities in the United States and Canada. The Latin-American communities in many of our cities offer a remarkable teaching opportunity, and a beginning is to be made during the current year.
F. Special projects by the National Teaching Committee.
G. Development of groups and isolated believers by the Regional Teaching Committees.
H. Radio. Publicity.
J. Local Assembly extension teaching.
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K. Summer Schools.
L. Bahá’í amity. The function of the race amity activities of former years is to be enlarged in order to fulfill the Guardian’s instructions concerning all minorities.
M. Youth activities. Child training.
IV. Temple Construction. The annual budget contemplates the completion of the exterior decoration by 1942, and the success of this schedule of operations represents a vital aspect of the Seven Year Plan. For the coming years, the following task is assigned:
A. Completion of gallery contract.
B. Completion of first story models contract.
C. Completion of first story molds contract.
D. Completion of purchase of quartz needed for first story.
E. Begin casting and application of external decoration to first story. This item has paramount importance, for delay in beginning this part of the work would interfere with the schedule adopted for the Seven Year Plan.
Progress of Temple Work
By August, 1939, had been completed the first great achievement in Temple construction under the Seven Year Plan—the exterior decoration of the gallery section. This is one of the most beautiful units of the entire scheme, and its completion has enhanced the appearance of the House of Worship incomparably.
Without waiting for the accumulation of all the funds required for the first story level, the Assembly provided sufficient funds to the Temple Trustees in August to make possible a contract calling for the exterior decoration of the nine first story pylons to one-third their height. This work was finished well before the date of December 31, 1939, which the contract called for.
The current year has seen likewise the completion of the contracts for models and molds required for exterior decoration of the first story, the purchase of the quartz needed for casting the first story units, and the purchase of steel and wire also required.
This means that all the preliminary work has been done leading up to the casting and application of the units on the first story, the final stage in this part of the Temple construction; the other work to be accomplished being the construction of the external stairs which are to rest upon the sloping deck of the foundation; some metal work, the nine entrance doors and grill work on certain windows; and such treatment of grounds and the interior of the edifice as may be decided on conclusion of the Seven Year Plan.
The National Spiritual Assembly laid before the Bahá’í community in February, 1940, a plan, approved and endorsed by Shoghi Effendi, calling for the funds needed to place the contract for the casting and application of the first story units, $95,000, plus $30,000 the estimated cost of the stairs, less the sums already expended amounting to $19,183.22, or a total of $105,816.78. Of this amount the Assembly reported that $50,000 would be required by April, 1940, the balance being payable during 1941. The essential purpose of this plan was to make possible the completion of all the work called for under the Seven Year Plan by 1942, two years ahead of schedule.
The Guardian’s approval, and his participation in the plan, was reported in a letter dated December 27, 1939:
“The Plan which your Assembly has suggested to raise the sum of fifty thousand dollars by next April, which will enable you to place the necessary contracts for the final completion of the entire First Story of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, meets with my unqualified approval. It was specially in order to initiate and encourage the progress of such a plan that I felt impelled to pledge the sum of one thousand pounds in the memory of these two glorious souls who, apart from the Founders of the Faith and its Exemplar, tower, together with the Greatest Holy Leaf, above the rank and file of the faithful.
“The interval separating us from that date is admittedly short. The explosive forces which lie dormant in the international field may, ere the expiry of these fleeting months, break out in an eruption that may prove the most fateful that mankind has experienced. It is within the power of the organized body of the American believers to further demonstrate the imperturbability of their faith, the serenity of their confidence and the unyielding tenacity of their resolve.”
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At the time of this
writing about one-half
the $50,000 has been made available, and
the continuance of the construction work is
abundantly assured.
The Penetration of Latin America
Nothing in the history of the Faith in America compares with the response which has been made to the Guardian’s appeal for settlement of pioneer teachers in Latin-American countries.
By March, 1940, it is possible to record the following impressive list of American teachers either settled in or on their way to various countries in Central and South America. In addition, Spanish translations of a number of Bahá’í texts are either completed in manuscript or on the press for publication; and plans for additional settlements as well as the return of Mrs. Frances Benedict Stewart to South America for a prolonged stay are nearly completed.
Mathew Kaszab, Nicaragua.
Mrs. Louise Caswell, Mrs. Cora Hitt Oliver, Panama.
Gerrard Sluter, Guatemala.
Mrs. Amelia Ford, Mrs. Gayle Woolson, Costa Rica.
John Eichenauer, Jr., Clarence Iverson, San Salvador.
Antonio Roca, Honduras.
Mr. and Mrs. John Shaw, Jamaica.
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Marangella, Cuba.
Margaret Lentz, Dominican Republic.
Lenora Holsapple, Brazil.
Wilfrid Barton, Uruguay.
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Laws, Chile.
Mr. and Mrs. Emeric Sala, Priscilla Rhodes, Venezuela.
John Stearns, Ecuador.
Thus a vast and far-reaching project has been firmly established, its aim the realization of the Guardian’s plea for Bahá’í groups in all countries of Central and South America by the end of the first century of the Bahá’í Era. Mrs. Stewart’s second journey to South America had great results in forming permanent groups in Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and in Chile. The Spiritual Assembly of Mexico City is taking an active part in the important work of Spanish translation as well as in extending the Cause in Mexico. The visit made by Mrs. Thomas Collins to Mexico City during the past year forged firmer bonds of unity and cooperation between the Bahá’ís of that city and their co-workers in North America. Finally, the element of spiritual sacrifice and martyrdom has been brought into the mighty task in the passing of Mrs. May Maxwell.
Consolidation of Teaching Work in North America
A most powerful impetus has also been given to the teaching activities maintained during the year by the National and Regional Teaching Committees, the local Spiritual Assemblies and individuals who have served as pioneers or traveling teachers.
The record of pioneer settlements arranged during the past two years reveals the fact that all parts of the United States and Canada now reflect the light of the new Revelation.
Honor Kempton, Betty Becker, Mrs. Joy Allen, Alaska.
Mr. and Mrs. A. K. Kalantar, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, Delaware.
Helen Griffing, Nevada.
Mr. and Mrs. D. T. McNally, Rhode Island.
Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Bidwell, Mrs. H. Emogene Hoagg, Miss Maud Mickle, Miss Wheeler, South Carolina.
Mrs. Marguerite Reimer Sears, Lloyd Byars, Utah.
Neysa Grace Bissell, C. Grant, Vermont.
Mr. and Mrs. Hilbert Dahl, Harold Hunt, Mr. Brandon, West Virginia.
Mr. and Mrs. Moore, Virginia.
Martha Fettig, Alabama.
Rezi Sunshine, Arkansas.
Marvin Newport, Iowa.
Mrs. Olivia Kelsey, Kentucky.
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Babo, Mrs. Dorothy Logelin, Pearl Berk, Louisiana.
Mrs. Marguerite Bruegger, North Dakota.
Mrs. Dwight Edson, Mrs. Kathryn Frankland, Fred Kluss, Mr. Brandon, Texas.
Nayan Hartfield, Missouri, Mrs. Lorol Jackson, Montana.
Mrs. Beulah Proctor, Mr. and Mrs. G. Wade, Nova Scotia.
Rowland Estall, Manitoba.
Doris Skinner, Alberta.
Mrs. Kathryn Moscrop, Saskatchewan.
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The activities of
these consecrated teachers, the
development of study groups, and
the preparation of new groups for
the formation of a Spiritual Assembly,
are reported
in detail in the accompanying annual report
of the National Teaching and the Regional
Teaching Committees. What emerges is the
vital fact that the entire Bahá’í community
has become penetrated with a new quality
of vigor and a new determination to lay
strong foundations for the new order ere the
old crashes to the ground.
The many activities which, under various Committees, make up the teaching work in its entirety, can only be grasped if we follow the Reports from all Committees. A word might be added here about the Bahá’í Exhibits maintained at the Expositions conducted at San Francisco, New York and Toronto. In the beauty of the exhibits, the vast amount of literature taken by visitors, the duration of the effort and the contribution made by the many believers who gave their time to be in attendance day by day, these World Fairs, and the Canadian National Exposition, mark a new and higher standard of participation in teaching activity in connection with public enterprises. The experience gained by the Bahá’ís themselves is perhaps no less important for the future than the interest aroused by the several hundred thousand printed summaries of the Faith given to inquirers.
By March 1, 1940, authorization for formation of a local Spiritual Assembly on April 21 had been voted by the National Assemby to groups in the following cities: Waukegan and Madison, Wisconsin; Santa Rosa, Big Bear Lake, Beverly Hills and Burbank, California; West Haven, Connecticut; Omaha, Nebraska; and Atlanta, Georgia. Applications had been received, not yet acted on, from Santa Barbara, California, and Brookline, Massachusetts. These eleven new Assemblies will increase the number of local Assemblies in North America to 96. Eighty-eight Assemblies were elected on April 21, 1939, since when the removal of members to other cities and other reasons have dissolved the Assemblies of Moncton, New Brunswick, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Toledo, Ohio. From early in April, 1939 to March 10, 1940, a total of three hundred and sixty-eight enrollments were reported by the local Assemblies, some of these representing transfers of membership from one community to another. The report from Los Angeles was 56, from New York 36, from Chicago 22 and from Toronto 19. These figures do not list those who enrolled as isolated believers or members of groups.
Communications from the Guardian
The guidance and strength which the American Bahá’ís have received from Shoghi Effendi have enabled them to understand the true character of these passing days, anticipate the trend of world affairs, and concentrate upon the most important spiritual task.
Space permits the recording of only some of the passages which during the year have been published in BAHÁ’Í NEWS in their entirety for the believers.
“The initial phase of the teaching work operating under the Seven Year Plan has at long last been concluded. They who pushed it forward have withstood the test gloriously. By their acts, whether as teachers or administrators, they have written a glorious page in the struggle for the laying of a continent-wide foundation for the administrative Order of their Faith. At this advanced stage in the fulfillment of the purpose to which they have set their hand there can be no turning back, no halting, no respite. To launch the bark of the Faith, to implant its banner, is not enough. Support, ample, organized and unremitting, should be lent, designed to direct the course of that work and to lay an unassailable foundation for the fort destined to stand guard over that banner.
“The National Spiritual Assembly, the
National Teaching Committee, the Regional
and local teaching committees, no less than
the itinerant teachers, should utilize every
possible means calculated to fan the zeal,
enrich the resources and insure the solidity
and permanency of the work, of those who,
actuated by so laudable and shining a spirit
of self-sacrifice, have arisen to face
the hazards and perils of so holy and
historic an adventure. Indeed every
believer, however
humble and inexperienced, should sense the
obligation to play his or her part
in a mission that involves so very
deeply the
[Page 148]
destinies not only
of the American Bahá’í community but
of the nation itself.
“Whether through the frequency of their visits, the warmth of their correspondence, the liberality of their support, the wisdom of their counsels, the choice of the literature placed at the disposal of the pioneers, the members of the community should, at this hour when the sands of a moribund civilization are inexorably running out, and at a time when they are preparing themselves to launch yet another stage in their teaching activities, insure the security and provide for the steady expansion, of the work initiated in those territories so recently set alight from the torch of an inextinguishable Faith.
“This is my plea, my supreme entreaty.”
April 17, 1939.
"Inexpressibly moved, grateful (for) stirring, unique message. Momentous deliberations (of) Thirty-first Convention opening sterner, more glorious chapter in corporate life (of) ever-advancing, steadily-expanding American Bahá’í community. Admiration heightened, confidence immensely fortified (by) fresh revelations (of ) community’s latest strength hastening inevitable hour signalizing spiritual conquest (of) entire Western Hemisphere.”
May 1, 1939.
“Progress reflected (in) recently published National Reports inspiring, significant. Convey (to) responsible Committees abundant gratitude, heartfelt congratulations. Advise mail one copy (to) each Community (of) Bahá’í World as example worthy emulation, as source (of) abiding comfort, as stimulus (of) greater exertions, nobler perseverance.”
May 9, 1939.
"The concerted activities of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the North American continent assume, as they multiply and develop, a dual aspect, and may be said to fall into two distinct categories, both equally vital and complementary to each other. The one aims at the safeguarding and consolidation of the work already achieved; the other is designed to enlarge the range of its operation. The former depends chiefly for its success upon the capacity, the experience and loyalty of wise, resourceful and judicious administrators, who, impelled by the very nature of their task, will be increasingly called upon to exercise the utmost care and vigilance in protecting the interests of the Faith, in resolving its problems, in regulating its life, in enriching its resources, and in preserving the pristine purity of its precepts. The latter is essentially pioneer in nature, demanding first and foremost those qualities of renunciation, tenacity, dauntlessness and passionate fervor that can alone brave the dangers and sweep away the obstacles with which an infant Faith, struggling against vested interests and face to face with the entrenched forces of prejudice, of ignorance and fanaticism, must needs contend. In both of these spheres of Bahá’í activity the community of the American believers, it is becoming increasingly evident, is evincing those characteristics which must be regarded as the essential foundation for the success of their dual task.
"As to those whose function is essentially of an administrative character it can hardly be doubted that they are steadily and indefatigably perfecting the structural machinery of their Faith, are multiplying its administrative agencies; and are legalizing the status of the newly established institutions. Slowly and patiently they are canalizing the spirit that at once directs, energizes and safeguards its operation. They are exploiting its potentialities, broadcasting its message, publicizing its literature, fostering the aspirations of its youth, devising ways and means for the training of its children, guarding the integrity of its teachings, and paving the way for the ultimate codification of its laws. Through all the resources at their disposal, they are promoting the growth and consolidation of that pioneer movement for which the entire machinery of their Administrative Order has been primarily designed and erected. They are visibly and progressively contributing to the enrichment of their unique community life, and are insuring, with magnificent courage and characteristic promptitude, the completion of their consecrated Edifice—the embodiment of their hopes and the supreme symbol of their ideals.
“As to those into whose valiant and
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trusted hands—and
no believer, however humble is to
think himself debarred from
joining their ranks—the standards
of a forward marching Faith have
been entrusted, they too with no less
zest and thoroughness
are pushing farther and farther
its frontiers, breaking new soil,
establishing fresh outposts, winning
more recruits, and contributing to
the greater diversification and more
harmonious blending of the elements
comprised in the world-wide society
of its followers.
“The Edifice of this New World Order, which the Báb has heralded, which the mind of Bahá’u’lláh has envisioned, and whose features ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, its Architect, has delineated, we, whatever our capacities, opportunities, or position, are now, at so precarious a period in the world’s history, summoned to found and erect. The community of the Most Great Name in the Western Hemisphere is, through the nature of its corporate life and the scope of its exertions, assuming, beyond the shadow of a doubt, a preponderating share in the laying of such a foundation and the erection of such a structure. The eyes of its sister communities are fixed upon it. Their prayers ascend on its behalf. Their hands are outstretched to lend whatever aid lies within their power. I, for my part, am determined to reinforce the impulse that impels its members forward to meet their destiny. The Founders of their Faith survey from the Kingdom on high the range of their achievements, acclaim their progress, and are ever ready to speed their eventual triumph.”
May 22, 1939.
“Newly-launched Central American campaign marks official inauguration (of) long-deferred World Mission constituting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s distinctive legacy (to the) Bahá’í Community (of) North America. Chosen Community broadening its basis, gaining (in) stature, deepening (in) consecration. Its vanguard now entering arena monopolized (by) entrenched forces (of) Christendom’s mightiest ecclesiastical institutions. Laboring amidst race foreign in language, custom, temperament embracing vast proportion (of) New World’s ethnic elements. American believers’ isolated oversea teaching enterprises hitherto tentative, intermittent, now at end. New epoch opening, demanding exertions incomparably more strenuous, unflinchingly sustained, centrally directed, systematically organized, efficiently conducted. Upon alacrity, tenacity, fearlessness (of) present prosecutors (of the) unfolding mission depend speedy (and) fullest revelation, in the First (and) Second Centuries (of the) potentialities (of the) birthright conferred (upon) American believers. Convey (to) pioneers (in) North, Middle (and) South America my eagerness (to) maintain with each direct, personal contact. Assure Teaching (and) Inter-America Committees (my) delight (at) successive testimonies (of) believers’ glowing spirit reflected (in) Minutes, letters (and) reports recently received. Entreat every section (of) community (to) labor unremittingly until every nation (in) Western Hemisphere (is) illumined (by) rays (and) woven (into) fabric (of) Bahá’u’lláh triumphant Administrative Order.”
May 23, 1939.
“The readiness of your Assembly, as
expressed in your recently cabled message, to
transfer the National Bahá’í Secretariat to
the vicinity of the Temple in Wilmette has
evoked within me the deepest feelings of
thankfulness and joy. Your historic decision,
so wise and timely, so surprising in its
suddenness, so far-reaching in its consequences,
is one that I cannot but heartily and
unreservedly applaud. To each one of your
brethren in the Faith, throughout the United
States and Canada, who are witnessing, from
day to day and at an ever-hastening speed,
the approaching completion of their
National House of Worship, the great Mother
Temple of the West, your resolution
to establish within its hallowed
precincts and in the heart of the
North American continent
the Administrative Seat of their beloved
Faith cannot but denote henceforward a
closer association, a more constant
communion, and a higher degree of
co-ordination between the two primary agencies
providentially ordained for the
enrichment of their
spiritual life and for the conduct
and regulation of their administrative
affairs. To the
far-flung Bahá’í communities of East and
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West, most of which
are being increasingly
proscribed and ill-treated, and none of which
can claim to have had a share of the dual
blessings which a specially designed
and constructed House of Worship and a fully and
efficiently functioning Administrative Order
invariably confer, the concentration in a
single locality of what will come
to be regarded as the fountain-head
of the community’s spiritual life
and what is already recognized as
the mainspring of the administrative
activities, signalizes the launching of yet
another phase in the slow and imperceptible
emergence, in these declining times, of the
model Bahá’í community—a community
divinely ordained, organically united,
clear-visioned, vibrant with life, and whose very
purpose is regulated by the twin directing
principles of the worship of God
and of service to one’s fellow-men.
“The decision you have arrived at is an act that befittingly marks the commencement of your allotted term of stewardship in service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. Moreover, it significantly coincides with the inauguration of that world mission of which the settlement of Bahá’í pioneers in the virgin territories of the North American continent has been but a prelude. That such a decision may speedily and without the slightest hitch be carried into effect is the deepest longing of my heart. That those who have boldly carried so weighty a resolution may without pause or respite continue to labor and build up, as circumstance permit, around this administrative nucleus such accessories as the machinery of a fast evolving administrative order, functioning under the shadow of, and in such close proximity to, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, must demand, is the object of my incessant and fervent prayer. That such a step, momentous as it is, may prove the starting point for acts of still greater renown and richer possibilities that will leave their distinct mark on the third year of the Seven Year Plan is a hope which I, together with all those who are eagerly following its progress, fondly and confidently cherish.”
July 4, 1939.
“A triple call, clear-voiced, insistent and inescapable, summons to the challenge all members of the American Bahá’í community, at this, the most fateful hour in their history. The first is the voice, distant and piteous, of those sister communities which now, alas, are fettered by the falling chains of religious orthodoxy and isolated through the cruel barriers set up by a rampant nationalism. The second is the plea, no less vehement and equally urgent, of those peoples and nations of the New World, whose vast and unexplored territories await to be warmed by the light and swept into the orbit of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. The third, more universal and stirring than either of the others, is the call of humanity itself crying out for deliverance at a time when the tide of mounting evils has destroyed its equilibrium and is now strangling its very life.
“These imperative calls of Bahá’í duty the American believers can immediately if only partially answer. Their present status, their circumscribed resources, debar them, however great their eagerness, from responding completely and decisively to the full implications of this threefold obligation. They can neither, individually nor through their concerted efforts, impose directly their will upon those into whose hands the immediate destinies of their persecuted brethren are placed. Nor are they as yet capable of launching a campaign of such magnitude as could capture the imagination and arouse the conscience of mankind, and thereby insure the immediate and full redress of those grievances from which their helpless co-religionists in both the East and West are suffering. They cannot moreover hope to wield at the present time in the councils of nations an influence commensurate with the stupendous claims advanced, or adequate to the greatness of the Cause proclaimed, by the Author of their Faith. Nor can they assume a position or exercise such responsibilities as would enable them by their acts and decisions to reverse the process which is urging so tragically the decline of human society and its institutions.
“And yet, though their influence be at the
present hour indecisive and their
divinely-conferred authority unrecognized,
the role they can play in both alleviating
the hardships that afflict their brethren
and in
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attenuating the ills
that torment mankind is
none the less considerable and far-reaching.
By the range and liberality of their
contributions to mitigate the distress
of the bereaved, the exiled and the
imprisoned; by the persistent, the
wise and judicious intervention of
their elected representatives through
the authorities concerned; by a clear and
convincing exposition, whenever
circumstances are propitious, of the
issues involved;
by a vigorous defence of the rights
and liberties denied; by an accurate
and dignified presentation of the events
that have transpired; by every manner
of encouragement which their sympathies
may suggest, or their means permit,
or their consciences dictate, to
succor the outcast and the impoverished; and
above all by their tenacious adherence to,
and wide proclamation of, those principles,
laws, ideals, and institutions which
their disabled fellow-believers are
unable to affirm or publicly espouse;
and lastly, by the energetic
prosecution of those tasks which their
oppressed fellow-workers are forbidden
to initiate or conduct, the privileged
community of the American Bahá’í can
play a conspicuous part in the great
drama involving so
large a company of their unemancipated
brethren in the Asiatic, the European and
African continents.
"Their duties towards mankind in general are no less distinct and vital. Their impotence to stem the tide of onrushing calamities, their seeming helplessness in face of those cataclysmic forces that are to convulse human society, do not in the least detract from the urgency of their unique mission, nor exonerate them from those weighty responsibilities which they alone can and must assume. Humanity, heedless and impenitent, is admittedly hovering on the edge of an awful abyss, ready to precipitate itself into that titanic struggle, that crucible whose chastening fires alone can and will weld its antagonistic elements of race, class, religion and nation into one coherent system, one world commonwealth. "The hour is approaching” is Bahá’u’lláh’s own testimony, "when the most great convulsion will have appeared . . . I swear by God! The promised day is come, the day when tormenting trials will have surged above your heads, and beneath your feet, saying: ‘Taste ye, what your hands have wrought.’ “
Not ours to question the almighty wisdom
or fathom the inscrutable ways of Him in
whose hands the ultimate destiny
of an unregenerate yet potentially
glorious race must
lie. Ours rather is the duty to believe that
the world-wide community of the Most Great
Name, and in particular at the present time
its vanguard in North America, however
buffeted by the powerful currents of these
troublous times, and however keen their
awareness of the inevitability of the final
eruption, can, if they will, rise to the level
of their calling and discharge their
functions, both in the period which
is witnessing the confusion and
breakdown of human
institutions, and in the ensuing
epoch during which the shattered
basis of a dismembered
society is to be recast, and
its forces reshaped,
redirected and unified. With
the age that is
still unborn, with its herculean tasks and
unsuspected glories, we need not concern
ourselves at present. It is to
the fierce struggle, the imperious
duties, the distinctive contributions
which the present generation of
Bahá’ís are summoned to undertake and
render that I feel we should, at this hour,
direct our immediate and anxious attention.
Though powerless to avert the impending
contest the followers of Bahá’u’lláh can, by
the spirit they evince and the efforts they
exert help to circumscribe its
range, shorten its duration, allay
its hardships, proclaim its
salutary consequences, and demonstrate its
necessary and vital role in the shaping of
human destiny. Theirs is the duty to hold,
aloft and undimmed, the torch of Divine
Guidance, as the shades of night descend
upon, and ultimately envelop the
entire human race. Theirs is the
function, amidst its
tumults, perils and agonies,
to witness to the vision, and proclaim
the approach, of that
re-created society, that Christ-promised
Kingdom, that World Order whose
generative impulse is the spirit
of none other than
Bahá’u’lláh Himself, whose dominion is the
entire planet, whose watchword is unity,
whose animating power is the
force of Justice, whose directive
purpose is the reign
of righteousness and truth, and
whose supreme glory
is the complete, the undisturbed,
and everlasting felicity of the
whole of human kind. By the
sublimity and serenity of
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their faith, by
the steadiness and clarity of
their vision, the incorruptibility
of their character, the rigor of
their discipline, the sanctity of
their morals, and the unique
example of their community life,
they can and
indeed must in a world polluted
with its incurable corruptions,
paralyzed by its haunting fears,
torn by its devastating hatreds,
and languishing under the weight of its
appalling miseries demonstrate
the validity of their claim to
be regarded as the sole repository
of that grace upon whose operation
must depend the complete deliverance, the
fundamental reorganization and the supreme
felicity of all mankind.”
July 28, 1939.
"Shades (of) night descending (upon) imperilled humanity inexorably deepening. American believers, heirs (of) Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant, prosecutors (of) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Plan, (are) confronted (by) supreme opportunity (to) vindicate indestructibility (of) their Faith, inflexibility (of their) resolution, incorruptibility, sanctity (for the) appointed task. Anxiously, passionately entreat them, whatever obstacles (the) march (of) tragic events may create, however distressing (the) barriers (which) (the) predicted calamities raise between them and (their) sister communities, and possibly (their) Faith’s World Center, unwaveringly hold aloft (the) Torch whose infant Light heralds (the) birth (of the) effulgent World Order destined (to) supplant disrupting civilization.”
August 30, 1939.
"Blessed remains (of) Purest Branch and Master’s Mother safely transferred (to) hallowed precincts (of the) Shrines (on) Mount Carmel. Long inflicted humiliation wiped away. Machinations (of the) Covenant-Breakers (to) frustrate plan defeated. Cherished wish (of) Greatest Holy Leaf fulfilled. Sister, Brother, Mother (and) Wife (of) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reunited (at the) one spot designed (to) constitute focal center (of) Bahá’í Administrative Institutions at Faith’s World Center. Share joyful news (with) entire body (of) American believers.”
December 5, 1939.
"Christmas eve, (the) beloved remains (of) Purest Branch and Master’s Mother laid in state (in) Báb’s Holy Tomb. Christmas day, entrusted (to) Carmel’s sacred soil. (The) ceremony (in) presence (of) representatives (of) Near Eastern believers profoundly moving. Impelled associate America’s momentous Seven Year enterprise (with) imperishable memory (of) these two holy souls who, next (to) Twin Founders (of) Faith and (its) Perfect Exemplar, tower, together with Greatest Holy Leaf, above (the) entire concourse (of the) faithful. Rejoice privilege (to) pledge thousand pounds my contribution (to) Bahíyyih Khánum Fund designed (for) inauguration (of) final drive (to) insure placing contract next April (for) last remaining stage (in) construction (of) Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. Time (is) pressing, opportunity priceless, potent aid providentially promised unfailing.”
December 26, 1939.
“The association of the First
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
of the West with the hallowed
memories of the Purest Branch and of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s mother, recently re-interred
under the shadow of the Báb’s holy Shrine,
inaugurates a new, and at long last the final
phase of an enterprise which, thirty years
ago, was providentially launched on the very
day the remains of the Forerunner of “our
Faith were laid to rest by our beloved Master
in the sepulchre specifically erected for that
purpose on Mt. Carmel. The birth of this
holy enterprise, pregnant with such rich,
such infinite possibilities, synchronized with,
and was consecrated through, this historic
event which, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself has
affirmed, constitutes the most signal act of
the triple mission He had been prompted
to perform. The site of the Temple itself was
honored by the presence of Him Who, ever
since this enterprise was initiated, had,
through His messages and Tablets, bestowed
upon it His special attention and care, and
surrounded it with the marks of His
unfailing solicitude. Its foundation-stone
was laid by His own loving hands,
on an occasion so
moving that it has come to be regarded as
one of the most stirring episodes of His
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historic visit to
the North American continent. Its
superstructure was raised as a direct
consequence of the pent-up energies
which surged from the breasts of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s lovers at a time
when His sudden removal from their
midst had plunged them
into consternation, bewilderment
and sorrow. Its external ornamentation
was initiated and accelerated
through the energizing influences
which the rising and continually
consolidating institutions of a
divinely established Administrative Order had
released in the midst of a community that
had identified its vital interests with that
Temple’s destiny. The measures devised to
hasten its completion were incorporated in
a Plan which derives its inspiration from
those destiny-shaping Tablets wherein, in
bold relief, stands outlined the world mission
entrusted by their Author to the American
Bahá’í community. And finally, the Fund,
designed to receive and dispose
of the resources amassed for
its prosecution, was
linked with the memory and bore the name
of her whose ebbing life was brightened and
cheered by those tidings that unmistakably
revealed to her the depth of devotion and
the tenacity of purpose which animate the
American believers in the cause
of their beloved Temple. And now,
while the Bahá’í
world vibrates with emotion at the news of
the transfer of the precious remains of both
the Purest Branch and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
mother to a spot which, watched over by the
Twin holy shrines and in the close
neighborhood of the resting-place of the Greatest
Holy Leaf, is to become the focus of the
administrative institutions of the Faith at its
world center, the mere act of linking the
destiny of so far-reaching an undertaking
with so significant an event
in the Formative Period of our
Faith will assuredly set the
seal of complete triumph upon, and enhance
the spiritual potentialities of,
a work so significantly started
and so magnificently executed
by the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the
North American continent.”
December 30, 1939.
“Delighted (at) ceremony celebrating (the) union (of the) twin institutions. Praying victory similar (to the) one recently won (over) Covenant-breakers (in) Holy Land be achieved by American believers over insidious adversaries (in) City of (the) Covenant.”
January 23, 1940.
"A Spiritual Renaissance”
A meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly at Toronto coincided with the beginning of the new phase in the international struggle. To that meeting came the Guardian’s cablegram of August 30. Realizing the vital necessity of maintaining the unity of the Bahá’í community throughout the troubled times to come, and the importance of sharing conscious awareness of the fundamental teachings pertaining to the believers in time of war, the National Spiritual Assembly immediately issued a special number of BAHÁ’Í NEWS in September, 1939.
A few excerpts from that message are reprinted in this report.
That fateful period has come upon us which to the world appears as the dire climax of all that is destructive in mankind. It is characterized by Shoghi Effendi as the supreme opportunity confronting the American Bahá’í community. In order to realize that opportunity the Bahá’í must hold to certain fixed truths and instruments of action given us under unquestioned spiritual authority, and constituting that basis of Bahá’í unity which can never be sundered, impaired, or perverted by human power. As we turn gratefully to the Guidance vouchsafed for the Bahá’ís through Shoghi Effendi since the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the older friends, who in 1914 saw the night of war descend upon the world, can appreciate what blessings have been received, and what a vital difference there is between a Bahá’í community in the station of infancy, and the same community grown to active and conscious youth.
The purpose of this special issue of BAHÁ’Í NEWS is to contribute to the knowledge, the steadfast calm, the sacred unity and the capacity of the American Bahá’ís during this fateful period that will terminate forever the institution of war in human society and reveal the Order which has been created by the Manifestation for the oneness of mankind.
The house of Ḥájí Mírzá Jání Káshán which the Bahá’ís of Írán have recently purchased to be preserved as an historical site.
The cablegram from Shoghi Effendi quoted above has many profound implications. First let us recall that other cablegram received September 24, 1938, in which the Guardian established the true attitude of Bahá’ís in time of war.
“Loyalty (to) World Order (of) Bahá’u’lláh, security (of) its basic institutions, both imperatively demand (that) all its avowed supporters, particularly its champion builders (in the) American continent, in these days when sinister, uncontrollable forces are deepening (the) cleavage sundering peoples, nations, creeds (and) classes, resolve, despite (the) pressure (of) fast crystallizing public opinion, abstain individually, collectively, in word, action, informally as well as in all official utterances (and) publications from assigning blame, taking sides, however indirectly, in recurring political crises now agitating, ultimately engulfing, human society. Grave apprehension lest cumulative effect (of) such compromises disintegrate (the) fabric (and) clog (the) channel (of) Grace that sustains (the) system (of) God’s essentially supranational, supernatural Order so laboriously evolved, so recently established.”
May be both individually and as members
of local communities or groups pray for
such purity of vision that we may be wholly
[Page 155]
obedient to the
Guardian’s appeal, which
means nothing else than protecting the light
of faith from the storms and tempests of the
world!
The Bahá’í law under which believers must obey their civil government involves the important question of the performance of military service by Bahá’ís when conscripted during time of war.
We find, among others, three passages bearing directly upon this question: "Bahá’ís and War,” Bahá’í Procedure, Section One, Sheet 11; "Collective Action By League of Nations,” Bahá’í Procedure, Section One, Sheet 12; and the Guardian’s letter to an individual believer explaining the Bahá’í view of absolute pacifists and conscientious objectors, published in BAHÁ’Í NEWS, January, 1938.
A review of these passages and agreement as to their meaning is most desirable by members of local communities. Nothing save understanding of true justice—the balance characterizing divine truth—will save the Bahá’í communities from danger of disruption under the impact of personalities taking extreme views which result in controversy and dissension.
“The Bahá’í conception of social life is essentially based on the subordination of the individual will to that of society. It neither suppresses the individual nor does it exalt him to the point of making him an antisocial creature. . . .”
"The Guardian instructs us that the obligation to render military duty placed by governments upon their citizens is a form of loyalty to one’s government which the Bahá’í must accept, but that the believers can, through their National Assembly, seek exemption from active army (combatant) duty provided their government recognizes the right of members of religious bodies making peace a matter of conscience to serve in some non-combatant service rather than as part of the armed force.”
"The hour is approaching when the most great convulsion will have appeared.”
.
As to the details of coming events, these are not made known to us in the Teachings, save for the large outlines which mark the death of the old era and the birth of the new. But we know that profound changes will take place, and human emotion and thought subjected to every conceivable influence.
The Bahá’ís can and must anticipate tests in the form of pressure exerted through public opinion, tests in the form of psychic experience claiming to be spiritual guidance, and tests which would sway us emotionally away from the continuity of plan and effort provided by the Guardian.
“For no less than six consecutive years (from April, 1938) this twofold and stupendous enterprise, which has been set in operation, must, if the American believers are to prove themselves worthy of their high calling, be wisely conducted, continually reinforced and energetically prosecuted to its very end. Severe and unprecedented as may be the internal tests and ordeals which the members of this Community may yet experience, however tragic and momentous the external happenings which might well disrupt the fabric of the society in which they live, they must not throughout these six remaining years, allow themselves to be deflected from the course they are now steadily pursuing. Nay, rather, as the impelling forces which have set in motion this mighty undertaking acquire added momentum and its potentialities are more fully manifested, they who are responsible for its success must as time goes on evince a more burning enthusiasm, demonstrate a higher sense of solidarity, reveal greater depths of consecration to their task, and display a more unyielding determination to achieve its purpose.” (April 14, 1938.)
The Assembly also acted to publish in pamphlet form the text of the letter which had been submitted to the civil authorities both in the United States and Canada in order to establish the status of Bahá’ís as noncombatants in time of war. The title of the pamphlet is The Bahá’í Teachings on Universal Peace.
A Brief Summary
Among the activities of the Assembly during the year there might be mentioned briefly the following:
On two occasions the Assembly cabled
the Guardian an expression of the hope of
[Page 156]
the Bahá’ís that
he might bless America with his presence.
Action was taken to increase by one-third the amount which the Assembly, for the American Bahá’ís, contributes regularly to the International Bahá’í Fund administered by Shoghi Effendi.
The first meeting of the Assembly in its Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds was held on January 20, 21 and 22, 1940. The occasion was signalized by a special dedicatory gathering held at 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, and then in the Auditorium of the House of Worship, at which the nine members participated in reading passages from Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and from the words of Shoghi Effendi.
An action taken in connection with the establishment of this Office was to amend Article V of the Declaration of Trust to read as follows: The central office of this Trust shall be located in the Village of Wilmette, State of Illinois, U. S. A., the site of the Bahá’í House of Worship.
The Assembly conducted public meetings this year in Toronto, San Francisco, New York and Chicago, and held regional conferences with Bahá’ís in those four areas.
The report submitted by the Properties Representative deals with the subject of the Bahá’í properties held by Trustees for the benefit of the National Spiritual Assembly, and supplements the present statement in recording the activities touching the national Bahá’í institutions. From that report is taken for emphasis the fact that the Bahá’í community has this year received three valuable property gifts: the Mathews property at Colorado Springs, to be used as an International Bahá’í School, property from Mr. and Mrs. John Bosch and Mrs. Thomas Collins which will augment the School property already held in that city; and the donation of her house in Berkeley, California, by Mrs. Katherine Frankland in memory of the late Mr. Frankland. A valuable part of this donation is represented by Miss Julia Culver’s cancellation of mortgage she had held. The legal steps are being taken for the transfer of this property to the Spiritual Assembly of Berkeley.
The first American local Assembly to own its meeting place and Bahá’í Center is Cincinnati, which holds title to a house transferred to the corporate body by a local Bahá’í.
Action has been taken to make possible the purchase of reproductions of the moving picture film showing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Brooklyn during His American visit of 1912, and reproductions of the Master’s voice record are also being prepared.
Matters of Bahá’í procedure published in BAHÁ’Í NEWS this year have been on the following subjects: the review of manuscripts; truth and rumor; teaching in the Southern States; credentials for traveling believers; credentials of believers from the Orient; the listing of Bahá’í publications; brief outline of procedure on appeals; committee reports; the status of pilgrim’s notes; the determination of membership; explanation of transfer of membership; and formation of new Assemblies.
No final selection has yet been made of design for the memorial to be erected at the grave of Martha L. Root in Honolulu, but an appropriation has been made and the most suitable material will be chosen as soon as possible.
A special contribution has been made this year for the relief of Bahá’ís in Turkistan and Caucasus, become tragically destitute due to the shattering of their lives under the compulsion of a war era. The American Bahá’ís likewise have felt a special and deep anxiety over the unknown fate of Miss Lidia Zamenhof, whose visit in America during 1937 and 1938 won her the respect and admiration of a host of Bahá’í friends.
The appointment of a Properties Representative makes possible an improvement in the records and maintenance of the various Bahá’í properties.
Aside from the Guardian’s general letters
and his communications to the
National Assembly on subjects
concerning general policy, there
are communications written
through his secretary which bring answers
to specific questions. Such answers are,
whenever possible, published in BAHÁ’Í
NEWS. Subjects covered in this way during
the current year have been: the right of any
believer to volunteer for pioneer work;
request that newly-incorporated Assemblies
send a photograph to transmit to the
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Guardian; importance
of the Race Unity Committee (in letter
of July 4, 1939); request
that associate members are not to be
appointed in future; approval of effort
by incorporated Assemblies to exercise
the legal right to conduct Bahá’í
marriage service; the
fact that the consent of parents is a binding
condition; explanation of time for holding
Nineteen Day Feasts (letter of December
24, 1939).
Gratitude in full measure is due all those members of the active National Committees whose energy and devotion are such vital factors in the total accomplishment of the American Bahá’í community year by year. Their reports are to be considered as extensions of the record which the National Assembly places in the hands of the Bahá’ís.
- NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
- ALLEN B. MCDANIEL, Chairman
- DOROTHY BAKER, Vice-Chairman
- HORACE HOLLEY, Secretary
- LOUIS G. GREGORY, Recording Secretary
- ROY C. WILHELM, Treasurer
- SIEGFRIED SCHOPFLOCHER, Assistant Treasurer
- AMELIA E. COLLINS
- LEROY IOAS
- HARLAN OBER
