Bahá’í News/Issue 252/Text
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| BAHÁ’Í NEWS |
| Bahá’ís of the United States |
| NO. 252 | BAHÁ’Í YEAR 108 | FEBRUARY, 1952 |
The Shrine of the Báb. The walls of the Octagon go up. Within the scaffolding can be seen the solid Chiampo stone frames for the windows of the Octagon being erected.
Messages from the Guardian[edit]
Much Loved Herald Bahá’u’lláh Covenant[edit]
The Guardian’s Tribute to Roy C. Wilhelm[edit]
“Heart filled (with) sorrow (for) loss (of) greatly prized, much loved, highly admired herald (of) Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant, Roy Wilhelm. Distinguished career enriched annals (of) concluding years (of) Heroic (and) opening years (of) Formative Age (of) Faith. Sterling qualities endeared him (to) his beloved Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. His saintliness, indomitable faith, outstanding services local, national, international, (his) exemplary devotion, qualify him (to) join ranks (of) Hands (of) Cause, insure him everlasting reward (in) Abhá Kingdom. Advise hold memorial gathering (in) Temple befitting his unforgettable services (and) lofty rank.”
Cablegram received
December 24, 1951.
The National Spiritual Assembly has provided for the holding of a Memorial to Mr. Wilhelm in Temple Foundation Hall, Saturday, March 29, 1952, at 8:00 p.m.
A loving invitation is extended to all Bahá’ís and to all non-Bahá’í friends of Mr. Wilhelm to share in the tribute so richly due the memory of this eminent Bahá’í.
Pilgrimage to Bahá’í World Center[edit]
“Announce (to) all National Assemblies restrictions (on) pilgrimage being gradually removed. Owing (to) prevailing conditions, maximum duration (will be) nine days. Permission (of Guardian) necessary, as few at a time are now permitted.”
Cablegram received
December 25, 1951
The Guardian’s message that restrictions on pilgrimage are gradually being removed is a cause for rejoicing throughout the Bahá’í world. From the earliest days, the spirit of the Faith has been diffused among the believers through the influence of pilgrims as well as through Tablets and letters.
The friends will recall a recent message from the Guardian concerning the mansion occupied by Bahá’u’lláh, which was to be furnished in preparation of pilgrimage. This great blessing is now offered Bahá’ís!
The matter of pilgrimage, of course, is for the individual believer to take up directly with Shoghi Effendi. In no way does it pertain to the actions of Bahá’í administrative bodies.
The Guardian Hopes the American Bahá’ís Will Accelerate Their Pioneer Work in Africa[edit]
“He was very pleased to have the first pioneer from America go forth under this organized African campaign; he was doubly happy that it should have been an American Negro who went. This is highly appropriate and surely has delighted the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who watched over that race with particular love, tenderness and understanding. The ever-increasing part the colored friends are taking in the work of the Cause, and especially of late years in the pioneer work, gratifies the Guardian immensely. And now, to add further to the record of their services, they can count a member of their race a Hand of the Cause. When we read in the Will and Testament how great is the function of the Hands, we appreciate to what an exalted station our dear brother Louis Gregory has attained.
“The Guardian hopes that now the American Bahá’ís have arisen and started on their pioneer work in Africa they will go on with it at an accelerated pace.”
November 23, 1951, through his secretary.
Messages from the Guardian[edit]
The Year Nine[edit]
The following statement is an excerpt from the portion of the Guardian’s letter of November 23, 1951, written through his Secretary.
Regarding your question about the Centenary, the Guardian wishes you to share the following information with the Persian and other National Assemblies; the “Year Nine” is an abbreviation of 1269 A.H. This term has been used by the Báb in His Writings, foreshadowing the Birth of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. The friends should refer, in “God Passes By”, to the passages mentioning the year Nine in order to appreciate its significance as well as the great importance attached to it by the Báb. In that same book the Guardian has explained that the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh was progressive: It commenced with the first intimation He received, of His Prophetic Mission while in the Síyáh-Chál of Ṭihrán. The beginning of the year Nine occurred about two months after His imprisonment in that dungeon. We do not know the exact time He received this first intimation, nor have either the Báb, or Bahá’u’lláh, made mention of any specific date in this connection. We therefore regard the entire year Nine as a Holy Year, and the emphasis should be placed, in accordance with the Báb’s Writings, on the entire Year which started in October, 1852. This means our Centenary Year of Celebration will be from October, 1952 to October, 1953. All celebrations must be held within these two dates. As the Riḍván period is associated with Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation it should be regarded as the most important time of that year and therefore the most suitable period for the celebrations.
The second stage in that progressive Revelation was when Bahá’u’lláh declared His Mission to His companions in Baghdád; this is considered the most momentous stage in His Revelation, hence it is called the “Most Great Festival”, the One Hundredth Anniversary of which will be celebrated in Riḍván 1963 and will constitute the Most Great Jubilee, the third of its kind, the first Jubilee having been the Centenary of the Báb’s Declaration; and the second the one we will be celebrating all over the world in 1952-1953.
The third and last stage in Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation was when He proclaimed His Mission to the rulers and religious leaders of the world in Adrianople. The first was an intimation, the second a declaration and the third a proclamation—the intimation was from God to Him, which He kept a secret within His own spirit, the declaration was to His faithful companions, and the proclamation was to the entire body of the religious and political leaders of mankind.
This statement is an excerpt from the Guardian’s letter of June 15, 1946, published as “A God-Given Mandate” in “Messages to America”, pages 99-101.
What greater reward can crown the labors of that community, now launched on the second stage of its world mission, than that the consummation of the second Seven Year Plan should coincide with the celebrations commemorating the centenary of the “Year Nine”, the year which alike marked the termination of the Bábi Dispensation, and signalized the birth of Bahá’u’lláh’s prophetic Mission? It was at a time when the Faith for which the Báb had suffered and died was hovering on the brink of extinction, when Bahá’u’lláh lay wrapped in the gloom of the Síyáh-Chál of Ṭihrán, His feet in stocks, His neck freighted with chains, and surrounded by vile and wretched criminals, that the auspicious year 1269 A.H., acclaimed by the Báb as the “Year Nine,” dawned upon the world, ushering in the most glorious and momentous stage in the Heroic Age of the greatest religious dispensation in the spiritual history of mankind. To that year He had referred as the year in which “the realities of the created things” will “be made manifest,” the year in which mankind “will attain unto all good,” in which the “Bayán,” as yet “in the stage of seed,” will manifest “its ultimate perfection,” in which the “embryo of the Faith will attain the station of ‘the most comely of forms,’ ” and in which “a new creation” will be beheld. It was in that same year that the “third woe,” as anticipated by St. John the Divine, quickly succeeded the second. To that same year Shaykh-Aḥmad-i-Aḥsá’í, who had heralded the Faith of the Báb, had alluded as the year “after Hin” (68), when, according to his written testimony, the “mystery” of the Cause of God would be “manifested,” and the “secret” of His Message “divulged.” It was in that same year that, according to Bahá’u’lláh, Himself, “the requisite number of pure, of wholly consecrated, and sanctified souls” had been “most secretly consummated.”
It was in such dramatic circumstances, recalling the experience of Moses when face to face with the Burning Bush in the wilderness of Sinai, the successive visions of Zoroaster, the opening of the heavens and the descent of the Dove upon Christ in the Jordan, the cry of Gabriel heard by Muḥammad in the Cave of Hira, and the dream of the Báb, in which the blood of the Imám Ḥusayn touched and sanctified His lips, that Bahá’u’lláh, He “around Whom the Point of the Bayán hath revolved,” and the Vehicle of the greatest Revelation the world has yet seen, received the first intimation of His sublime Mission, and that a ministry, which, alike in its duration and fecundity, is unsurpassed in the religious history of mankind, was inaugurated. It was on that occasion that the “Most Great Spirit,” as designated by Bahá’u’lláh Himself, revealed itself to Him, in the form of a “Maiden,” and bade Him “lift up” His “voice between earth and heaven”—that same Spirit which, in the Zoroastrian, the Mosaic, the Christian and Muḥammadan Dispensations, had been respectively symbolized by the “Sacred Fire,” the “Burning Bush,” the “Dove,” and the “Angel Gabriel.”
“One night in a dream,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself, recounting His soul-shaking experience of the first stirrings of His prophetic Mission, in the Year Nine, in that abominable pit, has written, “these exalted words were heard on every side: ‘Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Ere long will God raise up the treasures of the earth—men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him’.” And again, “During the days I lay in the prison of Ṭihrán, though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if
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something flowed from the crown of My head over
My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth
itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a result, be
set afire. At such moments My tongue recited what no
man could bear to hear.”
What still greater reward could await those who, inspired by the success achieved by the prosecutors of the second Seven Year Plan, will have arisen to carry forward to a triumphant conclusion the third phase of the Mission entrusted to them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, than that their prodigious labors, having embraced territories far beyond the confines of the continents of Europe and of America, should climax in, and be worthily commemorated through, the world-wide celebrations of the “Most Great Festival,” the “King of Festivals,” the “Festival of God” Himself—the Festival associated with the accession of Him Who is the Lord of the Kingdom to the throne of everlasting glory, and with the formal assumption by Him of His prophetic office? What greater reward than that the consummation of the third Seven Year Plan, marking the close of the first, and signalizing the opening of the second, epoch in the evolution of the Divine Plan, should synchronize with that greatest of all Jubilees, related to the year 1335, mentioned by Daniel in the last Chapter of His Book, and associated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with the world triumph of His Father’s Faith? What greater glory than that those who have brought this initial epoch in the resistless march of a world-embracing Plan to a triumphant termination should be made to feel that they, and those gone before them, have, through their collective, their sustained, and heroic endeavors, organized through three successive stages, and covering a span of almost a quarter of a century, been vouchsafed by the Almighty the privilege of contributing, more than any other community consciously laboring in the service of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, to this blissful consummation, and to have played a preponderating role in the world triumph of its institutions?
Building the Shrine of the Báb[edit]
The following extracts from letters written by Ugo Giachery in Rome to Leroy C. Ioas, Treasurer of the American N.S.A. show the divine protection under which the Shrine of the Báb is being built.
After much anxiety and the usual rounds of several government offices, I was able to obtain an export license for the steel, the lumber, the iron wire and the nails necessary to make the concrete cast of the cylinder and the dome of the Shrine. It is truly a miracle because recently the Italian Government has frozen all metals including the manufacturing of anything which contains metal. At the first approach, I was told that it was impossible and that no license could be given; but I was given the opportunity to make a petition and state my case. It took several weeks, and a lot of running around and much praying and finally the good news. The same official who handled my application, said it was out of the ordinary and a true miracle. The licenses are granted by a board composed of the representatives of various government agencies and well known for their severity.
By a steamer sailing the 30th of October, I shall send the steel, the wire, the nails, part of the lumber and the balance of the carved stone to finish the octagon, plus the balance of the iron window frames.”
The weather has been horrible all over Italy; there is destruction and havoc everywhere. One ship which should have sailed over a fortnight ago has not been able to leave these shores on account of the lashing storms. It was the last cargo of stone for the octagon and the steel for the dome. Perhaps before the end of the week it will sail.
Just received a telegram that finally the steamer has sailed; it will arrive in Haifa on November 22nd, 1951.
Memorial Gifts[edit]
The beloved Master has told us that the progress of man’s spirit in the divine world, is through the grace of the Lord alone, or through prayers of other human souls, or through charities and important good works which are performed in its name.
The National Spiritual Assembly has arranged for the Treasurer to maintain a permanent special record of all memorial gifts, so the names of all those memorialized may become, in an appropriate manner, a part of the permanent historical record of the Faith. Such names are now, and will continue to be carried in the Minutes of the National Assembly meetings, but it has been felt these “good works”, and those in whose memory they are performed, should be kept in a separate Memorial Book, which is to be a permanent historical record of the Faith.
The work of the National Treasurer’s office will be simplified, and contributions safeguarded, if the Assemblies, Groups, and individuals will use checks, drafts, money orders, etc. in making contributions to the National Treasurer.
These checks, drafts, etc. should be made out in favor of NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í FUND and not to the National Assembly, or the Treasurer. In no case should the checks be made out to an individual — likewise, cash should not be remitted.
Remittances to Haifa[edit]
In a recent letter from the Guardian, through his Secretary, our attention is called to the fact that ordinary bank checks can be cashed in Haifa without difficulty; and therefore, there is no objection to the believers using this method of making gifts to the Guardian of the Faith, if they prefer to do it that way.
It will be recalled the National Assembly had suggested the use of American Express money orders in making these remittances. The method now is, we are happy to note, greatly simplified, by the use of bank checks.
National Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Illinois.
National Treasurer, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.
Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.
Bahá’í News Editorial Office—see notice elsewhere in this issue.
Budget Requirements[edit]
Dearly Beloved Co-workers:
The National Assembly submits for the prayerful consideration of the Friends, the following statement showing the Budget Requirements of our Funds for the first eight months of the current Bahá’í Year, and the extent to which our cash receipts fell short of these Budget needs.
It will be noted, that in this eight month period, our contributions fell $53,450 short of the Budget needs. It also will be noted, that if we are to meet the Budget set up for the present Bahá’í Year, during the remaining four month period (January 1951 to April 30, 1952, inclusive), contributions totaling $203,450 or an average of $50,860 per month, are required. During the first eight months of the year, the average monthly contributions were $31,070. This will clearly indicate to the Friends, the degree of sacrifice necessary during the remaining months of this fateful year, if we are to meet our financial responsibilities.
In the stirring letter from the Guardian, dated November 23rd, 1951, he states:
“Above all, the accumulating deficit which has lately again thrown its somber shadow on all otherwise resplendent record of service, must, through a renewed display of self-abnegation, which, though not commensurate with the sacrifice of so many souls immolated on the altar of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, may at least faintly reflect its poignant heroism, be obliterated, once and for all from the record of a splendid stewardship to His Faith.”
Budget Requirements, and Cash Receipts,
for Bahá’í Year 1951-1952
Budget for Year 1951-1952:
| Resolve Fund: | |
Shrine of the Báb | $200,000.00 |
Temple Landscaping | 75,000.00 |
| —————— | |
Total Resolve Fund | $275,000.00 |
| —————— | |
National Bahá’í Fund | $175,000.00 |
| —————— |
Total Budget | $450,000.00 |
At the end of the first eight months of the current year, here is where we stand in relation to our Budget.
| Budget Requirements |
Contributions Received |
Deficit | |
| May- | May- | May- | |
| December | December | December | |
| Resolve Plan | $183,300.00 | $142,900.00 | $40,400.00 |
| National Bahá’í Fund | 116,700.00 | 103,650.00 | 13,050.00 |
| —————— | —————— | —————— | |
| Total Progress | $300,000.00 | $246,550.00 | $53,450.00 |
| REQUIREMENTS—January 1, 1952—April 30, 1952 | |||
| Budget | Total | ||
| Requirements | Deficit | Requirements | |
| January- | May- | January | |
| April | December | April | |
| Resolve Plan | $91,700.00 | $40,400.00 | $132,100.00 |
| National Bahá’í Fund | 58,300.00 | 13,050.00 | 71,350.00 |
| —————— | —————— | —————— | |
| Total Requirements | $150,000.00 | $53,450.00 | $203,450.00 |
The Guardian’s World Call[edit]
Beloved Friends:
In a rapid succession of cablegrams and letters the Guardian has disclosed to the Bahá’ís of East and West the vast potentialities of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to achieve its divine destiny. These Messages sound the Guardian’s World Call. In awe and reverence we ponder so majestic a demonstration, so irresistible a pronouncement uttered by the Almighty through His chosen Leader of the hosts of the faithful, summoning us to celebrate the Jubilee of Bahá’u’lláh’s mystical experience in Síyah-Chál and vindicate our faith by formulating plans to establish Bahá’í communities in the remaining continents, territories and islands of the earth. From 1953 to 1963 we are to undertake international projects far exceeding in scope anything before attempted by Bahá’ís.
In humility we open our hearts to a realization of what Shoghi Effendi has been inspired to proclaim. In his cablegram of November 30, already published, the Guardian summons “entire Bahá’í World, through the eleven National Assemblies already functioning” “to bestir itself and arise during the sixteen months ahead, through supreme, concerted, sustained effort, to prepare for demonstration of Bahá’í solidarity of unprecedented scope and intensity during the entire course of Bahá’í history.”
The Centennial festivities of the Year Nine, he states, “must include, apart from consummation of plans initiated by various National Assemblies,” “the formal dedication for public worship of the Mother Temple of the West,” the “possible termination of superstructure of the Báb’s Sepulchre in Holy Land, and the convocation of four inter-continental Bahá’í Teaching Conferences to be held” “on continents of Africa, America, Europe and Asia.”
Four Intercontinental Conferences[edit]
The message continues with a list of the four Conferences: one in Kampala, Uganda, one in Wilmette, one in Stockholm, and one in New Delhi, India. To each Conference the Guardian assigns the aim of formulating measures to “plant the banner of the Faith” in a definite list of territories.
The preliminary work is to be undertaken immediately by the National Spiritual Assembly convening each Conference, and in the case of Stockholm by the European Teaching Committee. On November 30 the Guardian cabled: “Forthcoming celebrations must be signalized through inauguration long anticipated intercontinental stage in administrative evolution of Faith ....”
The Divine Plan[edit]
Shoghi Effendi has unfolded a new and decisive stage in the evolution of the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His trust addressed to the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada and now a sacred charge directed by the Guardian to the Bahá’í World Community.
Referring to the Tablets addressed to all the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada, we note that in the Tablet dated April 8, 1916, the Master sounds the call for teaching in Alaska and Latin America, and on April 11, 1916, He declared: “When this divine call travels from the continent of America to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Islands of the Pacific, the American believers shall be established on the throne of Everlasting Glory .....” In that Tablet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called the roll of lands to which the Guardian, His
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Executor, now summons the unified energies of the
Bahá’í world. The Master’s call was scaled by the two
following Tablets in which He glorified the Collective
Center and identified the army of the Lord of Hosts.
The Year Nine[edit]
In his letter dated November 23, 1951, the Guardian, through his secretary, has explained the significance of the Year Nine. The full text is published elsewhere in this issue. The following passages are cited in order to clarify the picture we are endeavoring to form of the Guardian’s stupendous conception.
“The ‘Year Nine’ is an abbreviation of 1269 A. H.” “The beginning of the Year Nine occurred about two months after His (Bahá’u’lláh’s) imprisonment in that dungeon. We do not know the exact time He received this first intimation .... We therefore regard the entire Year Nine as a Holy Year, and the emphasis should be placed .... on the entire Year, which started in October, 1852. This means our Centenary Year of Celebration will be from October, 1952 to October, 1953.”
The Guardian also explained the Year Nine in his letter “A God-Given Mandate” which brought us the inspiration and guidance needed for the Second Seven Year Plan. In “Messages to America,” pages 99, 100 and 101, we find a most vivid statement which is published elsewhere in full.
Hands of the Cause[edit]
The Guardian has also announced the appointment of twelve Hands of the Cause, chosen from the Holy Land, Persia, Europe and America. Except the three Hands chosen in the Holy Land, they are to be his representatives at the Intercontinental Conferences in 1953. Meanwhile they are to continue in their present types of Bahá’í service.
Their appointment carries one step farther the unfoldment of the great Pattern disclosed in the Bahá’í Writings and particularly in the Master’s Will and Testament. The elements of the Pattern have been known. It is the timing and the application of the Pattern by the Guardian which pertains to his spiritual Station and power. The Pattern as a whole, with the Guardianship, the Houses of Justice, international, national and local, and the Hands of the Cause, has been made the divine instrument for the establishment and maintenance of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
The startling events in our Bahá’í experience are those which represent unexpected evidences of the Power with which the Pattern is endowed.
Swiftly Succeeding Events[edit]
The cabled Message dated December 24 refers to the “gigantic process now set in motion” as “greatly accelerated through series of swiftly succeeding events originated in the World Center of the Faith.”
The Guardian lists six of these events: the construction of the superstructure of the Báb’s Sepulchre; the creation of the International Bahá’í Council; the acquisition, restoration and embellishment of historic sites associated with the imprisonment of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; initiation of negotiations with authorities of Israel to preserve for posterity the area neighboring the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh and to acquire properties sorely needed in the vicinity of the Sepulchre of the Báb for housing agencies connected with the Guardianship and the House of Justice; preparation of design for future House of Worship on Mount Carmel; and the convocation of the four Conferences embracing the eleven National Spiritual Assemblies.
Shoghi Effendi then states that the hour is ripe, in conjunction with these six steps, to appoint the first contingent of the Hands of the Cause.
America’s Responsibilities[edit]
The American Bahá’ís have been charged by the Guardian with certain paramount responsibilities to be fulfilled before the Holy Year. Passages enumerating these duties are published elsewhere. To complete this summary of the Guardian’s World Call, we quote the following passage from the Guardian’s letter of November 23, 1951.
“The landscaping of the area surrounding a structure, whose foundations and exterior and interior ornamentation, have demanded, for so many years, so much effort and such constant sacrifice, must, under no circumstances, and while there is yet time, be neglected, lest failure to achieve this final task mar the beauty of the approaches of a national Shrine which provide so suitable a setting for an Edifice at once so sacred and noble. The responsibilities solemnly undertaken to consolidate and multiply the administrative institutions throughout all the States of the Union — a task that has of late been allowed to fall into abeyance, and has been eclipsed by the spectacular success attending the shining exploits of the American Bahá’í Community in foreign fields—must be speedily and seriously reconsidered for upon the constant broadening and the steady reinforcement of this internal administrative structure, which provides the essential base for future operations in all the continents of the globe, must depend the vigor, the rapidity and the soundness of the future crusades which must needs be launched in the service, and for the glory of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and in obedience to the stirring summons issued by the Center of His Covenant in some of His most weighty Tablets. Above all, the accumulating deficit which has lately again thrown its somber shadow on an otherwise resplendent record of service, must, through a renewed display of self-abnegation, which, though not commensurate with the sacrifice of so many souls immolated on the altar of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, may at least faintly reflect its poignant heroism, be obliterated, once and for all, from the record of a splendid stewardship to His Faith.”
Our duty is clear, our collective responsibility absolute, our privilege unique. The majestic vista of a world-embracing Order depicted by the Guardian depends upon the resolution, the energy and the sacrifice of Bahá’ís. We are not passengers borne without effort to their goal, but workers called upon to strive every hour in the erection of the edifice of spiritual Victory!
The Guardian’s plans are under intensive study by the National Spiritual Assembly, and its considered programs for best carrying out the undertakings directly concerning the United States will be published from time to time. An appeal for suggestions and for more intensive effort has been directed to Assemblies, Groups, Area National Teaching Committees, and Regional Teaching Committees. In this preliminary statement the intention is confined to a survey of the several messages and a simplified expression of their plans and purposes so that we may see them as a whole.
The Dearest Wish of the Guardian’s Heart[edit]
The concluding passages of his letter dated November
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23, 1951 raise us to the peak of climax in this
truly overwhelming proclamation.
“The vision now disclosed to the eyes of this community is indeed enthralling. The tasks which, if that vision is to be fulfilled, must be valiantly shouldered by it members are staggering. The time during which so herculean a task is to be performed is alarmingly brief. The period during which so gigantic an operation must be set in motion, prosecuted and consummated, coincides with the critical, and perhaps the darkest and most tragic, stage in human affairs. The opportunities presenting themselves to them are now close at hand. The invisible battalions of the Concourse on High are mustered, in serried ranks, ready to rush their reinforcements to the aid of the vanguard of Bahá’u’lláh’s crusaders in the hour of their greatest need, and in anticipation of that Most Great, that Wondrous Jubilee in the joyfulness of which both heaven and earth will partake. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Founder of this community and the Author of the Plan which constitutes its birthright, to whose last wishes its members so marvelously responded; the Báb, the Centenary of whose Revelation this same community so magnificently celebrated, and to the building of whose Sepulchre it has given so fervent a support; Bahá’u’lláh Himself, to the glory of whose Name so stately an Edifice it has raised, will amply bless and repay its members if they but persevere on the long road they have so steadfastly trodden, and pursue, with undimmed vision, with unrelaxing resolve and unshakable faith, their onward march towards their chosen goal.
“That this community, so young in years, yet withal so rich in exploits, may, in the months immediately ahead, as well as in the years immediately following this coming Jubilee, maintain, untarnished and unimpaired, its record of service to our beloved Faith, that it may further embellish, through still nobler feats, its annals, is the dearest wish of my heart, and the object of my constant supplications at the Holy Threshold.”
After we have scaled these heights of vision, let us, together and humbly, resolve to be worthy of so vast and precious a trust, consecrate our efforts and resources to it execution, and allow no negative elements to obscure the brilliance of the future scene.
Now indeed we Bahá’ís have come to the Day when faith is not a mere belief but a complete consecration of soul, mind and body to the establishment of the Kingdom on earth. There is no place for doubt, dissention nor gloom in the radiance of the Kingdom.
His Confirmations Are Ready[edit]
Dear friends,
In recent weeks our hearts have been stirred by a series of momentous messages from Haifa. Before our eyes we see the structure of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order taking shape. We are profoundly thankful to be living in such historic days.
The establishment of another institution of the World Order means, among other things, that the actions and services of each individual Bahá’í become more significant. The individual Bahá’í is the bedrock of the Kingdom of God. The sustaining source of his faith is love for Bahá’u’lláh. His protection is the power of the Covenant. His daily efforts to teach the Faith bless and enrich his life a hundred-fold.
In the increased strength and prestige of the Faith the individual Bahá’í can see the fruits of his service. The Faith is no longer obscure. And the final institutions of World Order are unfolding. Now, how much can we speed up this process? The answer lies in our hearts.
Now let us teach the Faith with a confidence and fire never before seen in this country. Let us each systematically and joyfully present the message of Bahá’u’lláh to our friends and acquaintances.
The Bahá’í in active teaching receives the capacity to serve Bahá’u’lláh. The Bahá’í in action is reinforced and confirmed. The Bahá’í in action is blessed, both materially and spiritually.
One of the recent messages from Haifa tells us that “a great restless forward surge is taking place among the believers the world over. There was a time, not so many years ago, when almost everything new being done in the Bahá’í World was being done by the North American Bahá’ís. Those days have gone forever. On their horizon there now looms keen competition.”
This is good news indeed. The “weak and downtrodden, underprivileged Bahá’í Communities in the East” are proving that Bahá’u’lláh miraculously blesses and confirms every individual Bahá’í who arises to teach His Faith.
Can we hesitate for a moment? Can we deprive ourselves of Bahá’u’lláh’s confirmations for a single day? Let the answer come from Maine to California, let the answer come from Florida to Alaska, as we actively depend upon Bahá’u’lláh’s confirmations by telling the story of our Faith every week and every day.
It has been said that “One is the highest number a man can count.” Each one of us is precious in the sight of God. Each one of us will be strengthened and confirmed as we actively tell the story of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. He will bless us and multiply our effectiveness.
Remember His promise! “Whose openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light.” “Verily, We behold you from Our Realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on High and a company of Our favored angels.”
—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
The State Convention[edit]
The reports and recommendations submitted by the State Conventions along with their certified election reports are being subjected to careful study by the members of the National Spiritual Assembly. The action taken on each specific recommendation will be published for the information of the American Bahá’í Community.
Meanwhile this brief notice is issued in order to share the most vivid impressions the National Assembly receives from a survey of the material—the size of the attendance this year as compared to attendance a year ago, the outstanding types of recommendation submitted, the response to the Guardian’s appeal, etc.
A check of attendance figures on twelve State Conventions
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for 1951 and for 1952 (a sufficient number to
show trends) produces this result: For the 1952 Convention about 56% of the voting Bahá’ís either attended the
election or voted by mail, while about 44% did not vote.
A year ago the same check gives us about 55% voting
and 45% taking no part. Now comparing the figure on
attendance (excluding those who voted by mail) we find
that about 26% of the voters attended State Conventions
in January, 1951, and over 33% attended in December,
1951.
This percentage is not entirely accounted for by reasons of illness, travel, unavoidable duty, age, etc. It shows that the creative character of the State Convention as described by the Guardian has not been impressed upon the entire Bahá’í Community. If the Convention were merely a mechanism to count ballots, a mailed ballot would be as good as one cast in person. The Convention is not merely a device for voting—it is an annual meeting of Bahá’ís who live in one State or Electoral District and whose teaching and other localized interests are therefore mutual. The Convention is to evoke latent capacity, create fellowship, and kindle “acceptance” of the Message into the flame of zealous service.
Since fundamental Bahá’í values are most effectively inculcated by example, each devoted Bahá’í can accomplish much by using every opportunity to emphasize the importance of these annual gatherings.
These excerpts from the reports illustrate responses made to the Guardian’s cabled appeal for support of the Resolve plan sustaining Shrine and Temple Landscaping Funds.
“All attending this Convention have pledged to renew efforts and make new resolves.”
“Each person pledged to more sacrifice.”
“Many took Resolve forms with them and it was the hope of the Convention the response would be ‘befitting’ the Guardian’s plea.”
“Special message sent to the N.S.A. pledging 100% support.”
“The State Convention, in response to the cable of the beloved Guardian, resolves to make a greater sacrifice during the remainder of the austerity period.”
“Letter sent directly to the Guardian from the Convention.”
“Cable sent directly to the Guardian pledging cooperation.”
Many Conventions forwarded collective contributions to the National Treasurer.
The change of date back to December, adopted because of unfavorable weather conditions in January and February, was favored by a few Conventions and not disapproved by any.
To illustrate trends in consultation about the Faith in general, a few recommendations are cited:—
“That we request the N.S.A. to include in Bahá’í News each month short paragraphs .... pointing out ways of eliminating prejudices of all kinds ....”
“That a brief, compact succession of Institutes of authenticated teaching material, for short-term presentation .... be developed ....”
“That the National Assembly submit to the National Convention for discussion the subject of coordinating plans for teaching applicable to the various sections of the United States and various conditions existing, such as coordinating the teaching by individuals, firesides and classes with each other.”
“That the N.S.A. prepare a statement to the press to be used as needed, affirming the Bahá’í belief in Christ, to overcome the existing criticism causing local obstacles in teaching.”
“That a four-page inexpensive folder be published monthly containing one or more articles by Bahá’í writers, keyed to current events and suitable for wide distribution....”
“That the N.S.A. send out resolves (resolve forms) with the dramatic story of the Báb, the historic experience of the remains of the Báb, the story from the time He was martyred up to the present day, to bring home to all the friends the supreme importance of assuming our share of financial responsibility for the Shrine of the Báb.”
“That the N.S.A. obtain a more specific compilation of the basic obligatory duties of individual Bahá’ís and communities for distribution to Bahá’í communities, and particularly to new believers.”
When all the recommendations are presented, each accompanied by the action taken by the N.S.A., the friends will realize more clearly how the State Conventions serve to focus the attention and release untapped energies of the Bahá’í Community.
Observance of Feast Date Calendar[edit]
The National Assembly issues again the words of the Guardian which were published in Bahá’í News for December, 1948, in answer to the question whether the date of observance of the Nineteen Day Feast can be changed when it coincides with a date assigned to a publicly-advertised Bahá’í lecture.
The Guardian wrote, through his secretary: “This is really a matter of secondary importance, and should be decided by the Assembly. Meetings which have been publicly advertised for a certain date cannot obviously be cancelled.”
Temple Landscaping[edit]
The friends are informed that the Temple Trustees have adopted a design for landscaping the Temple grounds submitted by Mr. Hilbert Dahl. Actual work on the grounds is to begin in the early spring.
An illustration of the design, approved by the Guardian, will appear in Bahá’í News for March, together with a description of the design and a statement explaining this notable Bahá’í project.
The Louhelen Story[edit]
Beloved Friends:
The same zeal that attended the reopening of the Summer Schools in every section of the country was evidenced at Louhelen where one of the most successful and fruitful seasons in its history was achieved in the summer of 1951.
The school season, which commenced on July 1 and ended on September 3, displayed an interesting and varied program, for believers and friends of every age group. Beginning with two consecutive junior youth sessions and ending with a two-day Homecoming Session, the school season enjoyed the enrollment of 360 persons in the various age groups.
Excellent publicity for the school was obtained
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throughout the season in Detroit, Flint, and other Michigan publications, and weekly radio announcements were
made on several Flint stations. Over $600 worth of
Bahá’í literature was sold during the season, resulting
from the varied and interesting classes that were given.
The Bahá’í communities in the area of the school cooperated by serving as hosts for the Sunday public meetings, followed by a tea. A new understanding and appreciation of the Bahá’í summer schools were engendered in the friends, and a deeper spirit of unity and fellowship was fostered.
The school committee are to be commended for the great care exercised in the expenditure of funds, with the following financial result:
Receipts during the 1951 School Season | $3,922.72 |
Expenditures during the same period | 3,241.19 |
| ————— | |
Excess of Receipts over Expenditures | 681.53 |
| ————— | |
Capital Expenditures | 708.85 |
Advances by National Spiritual Assembly | 708.85 |
| ————— | |
Insurance (Average per year) | $ 650.00 |
Real Estate Taxes (Exemption) | None. |
Louhelen, along with the other Summer Schools, will continue to play an important part in training Bahá’ís for the ever expanding opportunities to serve our beloved Faith in the far-flung areas of the Divine Plan.
Report to the Friends[edit]
A four-day meeting was held by the N.S.A. beginning November 22, 1951. The consultation, recordings and actions are preserved in sixty-one pages of Minutes, plus four annexes. The actions carried the number of votes recorded since Convention from 1015 to 1239.
Two conferences were held: with Mr. John Robarts, Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, and with the Temple Program Committee.
The only message received from the Guardian for presentation at this meeting was his cable assuring the Collisons of his delight at their offer to pioneer in Africa and his fervent, loving prayers.
The Memorial gathering arranged in honor of Mr. Louis G. Gregory was held Saturday evening, November 24, in Temple Foundation Hall, in place of the customary N.S.A. session. This gathering has been reported for the friends in Bahá’í News.
Much time was devoted to consideration of a detailed report setting forth a long-range view of the publishing activity, with an analysis of the various pamphlets written or compiled by believers, and recommendations on continuance or discontinuance of these items. The aim here is to prepare for the far different conditions which will prevail when the public interest in the Faith has been completely aroused.
Action was taken on the need for facilities and personnel to extend Bahá’í hospitality to distinguished visitors and to believers who come from distant places to visit the Temple. A Reception Committee was appointed which will serve more particularly at times when the regular Temple guiding service is not available.
In the international field, observers were appointed to attend the United Nations Conference to be held at Lawrence, Kansas. The Africa Teaching Committee reported that Mrs. Ethel Stephens has arrived in the Gold Coast, that Mr. William Foster is preparing for settlement in Liberia, and that Mr. and Mrs. Rex Collison are planning on settlement in Uganda.
It is a pleasure to note that a German educator who came to the United States under the Government’s Exchange of Persons Program, had notified the Women’s Bureau of the Labor Department that she is interested in the Bahá’í Faith and wishes to meet Bahá’ís in the Chicago area. As a result, special hospitality was extended to this educator and an associate also from Germany, both in Chicago and Wilmette, and they were conducted through the Temple.
The European Teaching Committee reported on its Conference and Summer School in Scheveningen, Netherlands, which were a heartening success. The Guardian’s great message to the Conference, and the reports, have appeared in Bahá’í News.
In order to contribute information and assistance to the new Latin American Assemblies, the N.S.A. decided to prepare a series of monthly bulletins containing excerpts from Bahá’í writings on important subjects, and also to send a representative twice a year to meet with the N.S.A.’s of South and Central America.
Progress reports from the Area National Teaching Committees, summarizing regional activities and work done with small communities and groups, receive urgent attention at each meeting. The preservation of Assembly status, and the preparation of groups for election of a Spiritual Assembly, are the basic responsibilities of every national Bahá’í Community.
The N.S.A. expressed its grateful appreciation to the school Committees which carried out the programs during 1951, and to the Public Relations Committee for preparing and distributing the kit for World Religion Day.
The Questionnaire Committee is preparing a new card based on the pamphlet “World Order Through World Faith.”
The Library Committee has prepared a review of the Esslemont book for use by believers when presenting a copy of the book to a Library.
Action was taken to prepare an Agenda for the 1952 Convention, incorporating suggestions received from delegates.
Twenty-seven local Assemblies submitted annual reports for last year. These have been studied and digested.
Nine local Assembly matters were brought up for consultation and action, and thirteen items of correspondence with individual Bahá’ís.
Photographs of Temple Interior[edit]
Four photographs of the Temple interior are now available: view of main auditorium, view of alcove, view of one section of second gallery and dome, view of entire dome.
The prints are glossies, suitable for newspaper reproduction or use in programs and announcements and are obtainable from the Bahá’í Sales Committee at 50c each or all four for $1.50, postpaid.
Address order to H. E. Walrath, 4639 Beacon St., Chicago 40, Illinois.
International News[edit]
Bahá’ís of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and their friends at the celebration of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh, Nov. 12, 1951.
The Central American Area[edit]
From the N.S.A. of Central America has come the following letter:
The National Spiritual Assembly of Central America had the great privilege and pleasure of being able to gather together in Panama for a special meeting on the occasion of Horace Holley’s visit to Latin America to consult with the two new National Assemblies formed last April. Once again we received inestimable benefits from our big sister Assembly of the United States in the person of Mr. Holley, whom we literally deluged with questions. It was a wonderful experience, for we were able to deepen our knowledge out of the boundless reservoir of experience of the North American Assembly, and we had been in office long enough to have formulated a very concrete list of points for the agenda.
All plans have now been made for presentation of the course on consolidation in the countries of the Greater Antilles. Beginning January 15, Mrs. Raquel F. de Constante, as representative of the National Assembly, will teach the course in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Following that, another representative will present it in Jamaica and Haiti.
In addition to Karbila, which is destined for a Summer School in Honduras, we now have “Ridván Between Two Rivers” in San Jose, Costa Rica, a lovely verdant terrain acquired by Artemus Lamb for a future Summer School. The Bahá’ís of San Jose inaugurated it with a picnic and open-air meeting under the tall shady trees, their voices blending with the music of two bubbling brooks and the splashing of a small waterfall.
Costa Rica, at the moment, seems to be the country most visited by Bahá’ís from other areas. A young man named Alan Pringle, Chairman of the Local Assembly of Calgary in western Canada, who read one of these news columns in the Bahá’í News of the United States wrote to the National Secretary to inform us that he will come to Costa Rica for three or four months, and will probably assist the Second Annual Convention in San Jose in April.
And that reminds us that we would like again to issue invitations and to keep our North American friends informed of possibilities for work in this area. Engineers, nurses, and perhaps people in many other professions can obtain work in the Canal Zone, where Bahá’í teachers are urgently needed. Simply write, if you are interested, to Panama Canal, Washington Office, Washington, D.C. Then advise the National Assembly of Central America, c/o Miss Elena Maria Marsella, Apartado No. 513, Panama, Rep. de Panama.
Our Indian Committee is getting itself established, making a study of the various Indian tribes, their languages, customs and geographical locations, and wishes any Bahá’í who may be interested in teaching them or settling among them to communicate with this National Assembly at the address given above.
Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand[edit]
We read in our Teachings that “even the movement about from place to place has its effect”, and this is amply proved in the active work going forward in Australia and the nearby islands, as reported by the National Spiritual Assembly there:
In Tasmania, Hobart Assembly members are busy preparing for World Religion Day, Jan. 20, 1952, and are delighted because Stanley P. Bolton, Jr., will fly from N.S. Wales to the “Apple Isle” to be Bahá’í guest speaker on the program.
“Glowing reports following the recent visit of Mr. S. W. Bolton to South Australia and Victoria, where the Mount Carmel films were shown, continue to flow in.
“Miss V. Hoehnke, pioneer at Ballarat, Victorian goal town, reports that during Mr. Bolton’s short visit, a recorded interview and several meetings were arranged. She adds:—‘We both felt that a big percentage of the population at Ballarat had the opportunity of hearing of the Faith through this week-end. At a party on the Friday evening when the broadcast was on, several Pakistani boys, who are in the air-force here, heard the word “Bahá’í” for the first time.’ ”
“An S.O.S. telephone call to Hazíratu’l Quds from far-away Lismore, told of a well-advertised meeting and a missing guest speaker. A hasty re-arrangement of her week-end schedule, a big scramble to overtake time, and a long train journey on the part of Mrs. D. Dive, Sydney, enabled the friends to keep faith with the people of Lismore. Mrs. Dive has also recently paid two visits to Wagga, another N.S. Wales goal-town.
“Two Bahá’í youth, one under voting age, have recently become settlers in the goal town of Leeton, N.S. Wales. Margaret Mason writes:—‘We’ve had a nice reception in the town and have made many new friends, mainly of course through Noel’s music. A new musician in town is always welcome. He’s had a couple of writeups in the local newspaper which were very nice. It’s wonderful publicity to get his name before the Public.’
“Mrs. H. Thomas, Adelaide, recently carried out teaching work in Perth, Western Australia. The arrangements included a number of well-received addresses before various organizations and a particularly successful broadcast over the national station.”
In Wellington, New Zealand, is Mrs. Else Norden Waldman, a U.S. Bahá’í who recently went there to live and to pursue her present career of nursing. Her work in former years was among priceless Persian and Chinese art treasures in a U.S. museum; then,
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desiring to do something of more value to the present
and future, she decided to become a nurse. She trained
at the famous Henry Street Settlement in New York City,
served during three polio epidemics in San Francisco,
did industrial nursing at the atomic energy plant centre
in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and now is evening supervisor at the Wellington Public Hospital. She reports
a most interesting time spent in her work, and in
giving the Message through public speaking and the
radio. A long article in the “Dominion” newspaper of
Wellington, reviews a talk describing her work in various places, and includes a note about the World Faith
of Bahá’u’lláh.
Indonesia[edit]
From British Borneo has come an enthusiastic pioneering account from another member of the very active Fozdar family. Jimmy Fozdar, who will be remembered by those attending the 1948 Convention in Wilmette, has established himself, with his wife and small son, in Kuching, Sarawak, on the third largest island in the world. Jimmy’s pioneering journey to Borneo was confirmed by the Guardian in a letter which, as the young man says, “alone was the remover of all obstacles.” He found employment with an import-export firm, and living quarters with another family. Continuing in his own words: “There are, I believe, degrees of thrills and contentment, and the greatest degree is realized when one is of the knowledge of working for Him, having Him to guide us, and making us His co-workers.”
Kuching, with a population of 40,000, is the capital and largest city of the largest state in British Borneo. The inhabitants may be classified in general as 1) Chinese shopkeepers, with no fixed religion; 2) the Malays, who are Moslems in a loose sort of way; 3) the Dayaks, or aborigenes; and 4) the British, the smallest and the ruling group. Jimmy has toured Sarawak and talked to people in many places. In Kuching a sign is already up: “Bahá’í Center and Library”—the latter being the contribution of Washington friends.
While in Singapore, enroute to Borneo, Jimmy met the U.S. Vice-Consul, who had been told of the Cause by Mr. William Lim. The latter had got his M.S. at Northwestern in economics, had attended Bahá’í classes at the Temple, and knew Paul Haney. Jimmy left these and other contacts in charge of the other Fozdars, now located in Singapore.
Bahá’ís of San Jose, Costa Rica, and their friends on the property of Artemus Lamb, on the day he dedicated it to the Cause and named it “Ridván entre Dos Ríos” (Ridván between Two Rivers).
Bahá’í Youth Summer Week, 1951 at Dilsberg, Germany.
German Bahá’í Youth[edit]
“Alive and awake” is the impression we gain of the spirit of the German Bahá’í Youth, reflected in the “Bahá’í Youth Letter”. It appears every two or three months, and is published in handy small magazine format, each issue having a different-colored cover bearing the globe, with Europe, the World Center region, and Africa swinging to the fore, and the text proper of the articles illustrated with delicate pen and ink sketches.
The December 1951 issue contains an excellent translation of Amelia Collins’ essay on the historical importance of youth in the Faith (which first came out in the U.S. Youth Bulletin). It also features brief and telling quotations from the Writings, and warm accounts of the youth ideal and work, including an appreciative “diary” of a delegate to the European Teaching Summer School at Scheveningen, Holland, the whole giving evidence of philosophical and spiritual understanding.
An autumn Youth teaching gathering was held at Maulbronn, and a Youth Week was observed at Plochingen-on-the-Neckar in October, with nine other youth organizations of the region taking part in it in conjunction with the Bahá’í youth. At a special evening meeting, the various youth groups in 10 minute talks gave public expression to their goals and methods of work. The week’s program, which brought all the youth of the city nearer together was well received by both townspeople and the civil authorities, and many became acquainted with the Bahá’í Message. A winter youth week was being projected for December 26 to January 2, to take place in the beautiful Black Forest. Quoting from the anticipatory note:
“We shall not go there only for the skiing, not only for the friendship and the camaraderie with young people: we want also to carry over our experiences into the spiritual side of life: we want to learn to know what is the answer of the Bahá’í Teachings to the questions which we put to them. Thus these days will be days of double re-creation: recreation in the fresh air of the Black Forest winter, and re-creation in the new spirit of a new Faith.”
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Some members of the Berlin Bahá’í Community welcome Mrs. Gusti Perron of Hollywood, California (lower right).
South America[edit]
The Regional Teaching Committees described in last months News have been very active. The Committee having its center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been conducting special classes every Monday. They have aroused so much interest that there are now also preparation classes for those interested in becoming believers. This R.T.C. is especially active, too, in a plan for gathering in more funds for the continental treasury. The R.T.C., which has its headquarters at Cordoba, is concentrating its efforts on bringing the group at Rosario to Assembly status by April 21.
Two successful institutes were held in Ecuador, one in Quito, a city in the high Andes, and another in the coastal city of Guayaquil. The instructor writes that the most stimulating class of all was the one on “Prayer”. Now they want another institute in which both cities can come together.
The R.T.C. of Peru has reached one of its goals: the Assembly formed last April in the port city of Callao, now has 15 members. The chairman of the Peruvian R.T.C., whose work as salesman takes him to nearby cities, recently invited one of the local instructors to spend his vacation traveling with him. The two reported an interesting adventure in pioneering. One key person known by them not only offered his store for meetings, but went out and invited the public to attend. At the meetings one heard the comment: “Why haven’t we heard of this before?” The R.T.C. is now doing follow-up work. Because Lima and Callao are “twin cities” it is easy for them to get together for institutes and all united effort is facilitated.
Bolivia boasts of two capitals, and there is a Bahá’í Assembly in each of them. Sucre, the old historical and rather isolated capital, whose Assembly was reinstated last April, is now becoming strong. The R.T.C. is planning another Institute for December, and will invite the friends in La Paz to Sucre.
In the long, narrow strip of land that is Chile, the R.T.C. reports two groups, one in Quilpue, and the other in Orsorno, each with 6 or more believers. They are praying and working for Assembly status by April 21. A member of the Santiago Assembly has taken up residence in Antofogasta and hopes soon to have another active group.
The southern R.T.C. located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has a very enthusiastic group in Santos, so active, in fact, that their splendid efforts are attracting contacts from nearby Sao Viciente. Perhaps two new Assemblies will be formed this year—Ojalá! (May God grant it!) The northern region, with headquarters in Bahía, a city of history and traditions, and the central regional, located in that fairyland city of Río, write glowing accounts of their Institutes. Bahía had opportunities to reach the public, and Río, stimulated by the deepening classes, is continuing them every Sunday.
Letter from Tokyo[edit]
In the November Issue of the Bahá’í News, we were delighted to see the report of the work in Japan as well as we always enjoy reading about the activities of the Faith all over the world. However, we note that there are a few errors and an omission of the name of one of the members of the Tokyo LSA. We are wondering if an erratum could be printed in the next or future issue of the Bahá’í News, particularly regarding the omission of the name of Mrs. Barbara Dean Davenport. The correct list and spelling is as follows:
- T. R. Imagire, Chairman
- Mr. Goro Horioka, Vice-Chairman
- Miss Fusae Ichige, Recording Secretary
- Mr. Naoki Yoshino, Corresponding Secretary
- c/o Yashima Trading Co.
- No. 4, 1-Chome
- Kyobashi, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo
- Miss Shigeko Nakanishi, Treasurer
- Miss Agnes Alexander
- Mrs. Barbara Davenport
- Mr. Kinya Saito (who replaced Mr. Shozo Kadota)
- Lt. Lane Skelton
We are happy to report that at the last LSA meeting a new member has been accepted to the Faith...Miss Fusako Nakada.
—ROBERT IMAGIRE
National Reference Library[edit]
The National Reference Library Committee is to compile all available material to be used in indexing the Bahá’í literature. Anyone who has prepared any sort of index of any of the literature is requested to write to Mrs. Marian Lippitt, 1429-B Jackson Street, Charleston, West Virginia, describing what has been prepared and stating whether or not a copy can be made available to the National Reference Library Committee.
American News[edit]
United Nations display window in Minneapolis, on Nicollet Avenue and Fifth Street. The display remained on view for a week.
Building Prestige for the Faith By Radio[edit]
When the Pennsylvania RTC conducted its two week Institute in Philadelphia which was attended by 63 Bahá’ís and 43 inquirers, the Bahá’ís were invited to tell about their Faith and the institute on a televised broadcast over station WDEL-TV. Mrs. Marguerite Sears was interviewed.
Alaskan Bahá’ís presented two programs over Anchorage’s station KBYR preceding public meetings. On October 1st Bill Hathorn read the script “World Religion, the Keystone of Education.” On October 22nd, Edgar Russell gave a talk based on material sent for the program “World Religion, the Essential of World Unity.”
The Columbia Broadcasting System had a Bahá’í as its guest for its nation-wide program, “This I Believe.”
Teaching Conference and Institute at Helena, Montana, October 7, 1951. Some of these people came 200 miles to attend the Conference.
The policy of the program does not permit direct reference to any one denomination, but William Sears used
several quotations from Bahá’u’lláh in stating the nature
of his faith. The broadcast was on November 1st.
William de Forge was guest on the program, “Luncheon at Sardi’s” on November 9th. Bill Slater, host for the broadcast questioned Mr. DeForge repeatedly on aspects of the Bahá’í Faith. The program is heard over station WDR in seven states and has a Hooper rating of 1,750,000 people.
A popular women’s television program in Syracuse gave Mr. and Mrs. Lowell Johnson an opportunity to explain their Faith as a result of their widely publicized first Bahá’í wedding in Syracuse. (A total of 82 inches of publicity was given their wedding with pictures showing the inter-racial character of the believers.) The couple used the Life magazine article and recent pictures of the interior and exterior of the Temple to explain the symbology of the Faith and a few of its teachings.
Bahá’í exhibit at the Mineola N. Y. State Fair, 1951.
Greenwich’s Sunday School[edit]
This letter from Mrs. David Ruhe describes the new Greenwich, Connecticut, Sunday School.
“In the early fall our Children’s Committee sent a story of the opening of our Sunday School to the local newspaper. We gave the purpose of our Sunday School as being that of giving the children an appreciation of all religions, and an understanding that basically all religions are one and the same. We included the name and telephone number of the chairman of the Children’s Committee so that any one who was interested could call.
“The result was exciting. Four mothers called and subsequently enrolled their children. All of the mothers were partners in mixed (religiously) marriages, and therefore were seeking a solution to the problem of what faith to offer their children.
“Now we have a total of 22 children enrolled in our three classes. (Only four of these come from Bahá’í homes.) On Sunday mornings at 11:00 we meet at the YMCA here where three spacious rooms are made available to us. The mothers and fathers who bring the children stay for a Bahá’í discussion group. These parents help in various ways with the activities of the
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Sunday School, and they contribute their ideas and
suggestions for its improvement.
“Almost all of the parents are attending our public meetings and our weekly follow-up meetings, and have brought others with them.
“The Sunday School is a most challenging project. We strive for variety in our programs so as to keep the interest of both children and their parents. We celebrate the Birthdays of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Once a month, approximately we have movies for the children. Songs are an important feature of the opening exercise; very simple refreshments are served at the closing.
“Our LSA feels that in many ways this is our most valuable teaching project, and we believe that other communities may wish to try a similar plan.”
U. N. Regional Conference in Paris[edit]
Fourteen Bahá’ís from 11 countries attended the Regional Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations called by the Department of Public Information of the United Nations Organization, and held in Paris, France, beginning Oct. 29, 1951. The Bahá’í delegation was the largest at the Conference; one organization had ten delegates, the others not more than five, and many had only one. Mme. Dreyfus-Barney of the Paris Bahá’í Community attended the Conference as delegate for the International Council of Women.
The Bahá’í delegation was highly gratified to report that Ugo Giachery was nominated by the Department of Public Information for Chairman of Committee III on “Special Problems of United Nations Information in Europe”, and was accepted by the delegates without dissent. As Chairman of one of the four Committees, he became ex officio a member of the Steering Committee for the Conference. As such, he was presented to the President of the French Republic, Monsieur Auriol, and also attended a luncheon given by the “Circle de l’Americain Latin”. This appointment was felt both to give publicity to the Faith and to enhance its prestige in the eyes of the delegates.
On the evening of October 28 an initial meeting was held at the flat of Anita Ioas (unable to attend the Conference as International delegate, owing to her employment), and subsequent brief meetings were held each morning for prayers, reports and discussion of matters arising during the Conference. A cable was sent to the Guardian, and a heartening reply received in a few days.
At the initial meeting the statement from the American Bahá’í News on “Bahá’í Relationship to United Nations” was read and explained by Ugo Giachery. This included quotations from letters from the Guardian which guided the Bahá’í delegates in their attitude towards the Conference. It was stressed that the Bahá’í delegation should be very careful to avoid all political issues.
The Conference was a large one with about 200 delegates; moreover most of those present were experienced Conference-goers. The opportunities for Bahá’í delegates to contribute were consequently more limited than at some Conferences of non-governmental organizations. Nevertheless, some contribution was made in each Committee, and a number of delegates asked for information about the Faith.
The delegates agreed to try to contact the press representatives of their own countries in Paris, but the European press showed no great interest in the Conference, so that there was little opportunity for Bahá’í publicity. However, an interesting contact was made with Mr. A. Lang, accredited foreign correspondent for 20-30 papers in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and other countries, who knew of the Faith through his
Group of Bahá’ís visiting the Peace Palace at The Hague, during the Fourth European Teaching Conference. They were happy to find Bahá’í books in the library there.
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son in Germany, and asked for further information
about the Faith.
The Bahá’í delegates were very happy to meet each other and the Paris friends almost every evening. On Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday evenings there were meetings at the home of Captain and Mrs. Marengella. At the Tuesday meeting George Clark, American pioneer to Luxemburg, showed Bahá’í films and slides which were much appreciated. On Monday, Mme. Dreyfus Barney held a meeting at which the Bahá’í delegates described the work of the Bahá’ís in propagating United Nations Information in their own country, and Mme. Dreyfus Barney explained the various relations it is possible for an international organization to have with the United Nations Organization. Wednesday night there was a well-attended public meeting organized by the Paris Bahá’í Community.
A letter was written to the Bahá’í International Community by the delegates, expressing their gratitude for having been appointed representatives to the Conference.
“Serving in this capacity has been an invaluable experience in international Bahá’í co-operation and in representing the Faith wisely and diplomatically in a large gathering of people of all kinds, interests, and nationalities. We feel enriched by our service as delegates and hope to pass on this feeling to our respective communities to the benefit of the Cause as a whole.”
United States, Africa Committee News[edit]
William Foster, the most recent pioneer to Africa, sailed for London on December 22, 1951 en route to Liberia. Mr. Foster’s plans to meet with the committee en route to New York were upset by the terrible weather conditions which affected all transportation in the middle west and east that week-end. In London he will meet with the British Committee. The British friends have met each American pioneer and extended such gracious hospitality and aid that the trip via England has become one of the real joys of pioneering.
The committee is now at work on a project which will carry two more American Bahá’ís Mr. and Mrs. Rex Collison to Africa. We hope that the Collisons will be leaving in a month or two. On November 9 the Guardian cabled the N.S.A. “Assure Collisons delighted, loving fervent prayers.”
Very interesting news has come to us from the British Committee regarding developments on the Africa Project. Experiences of the pioneers are revealing the wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s instructions to Fanny Knoblock. These have been shared with every pioneer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stressed the principle that a Bahá’í is a friend of all religions and nations, and that the Bahá’í approaches the people of the world with Divine Love rather than racial or sectarian love. He further commanded the Bahá’ís not to interfere in political affairs or pronounce a word relating to politics, for the Bahá’í is concerned with affairs which are heavenly and is first and foremost a servant to the world of morality. It is in this spirit and through obedience to this command that the spiritual victories of the Faith in Africa are to be achieved.
Word has also reached us that in far away Uganda a memorial meeting was held in tribute to much loved Louis Gregory, first American Negro Hand of the Cause.
Twelve native Africans attended this deeply spiritual meeting and it proved to be a confirming event for two young Africans who shortly thereafter accepted the Faith; thus the first historic fruits of the Africa Teaching Project were realized.
The first British pioneer to Africa, Miss Clare Gung, has requested the help of the American friends in obtaining a copy of The Dawn Breakers. Any friend who is willing to give Miss Gung this book should communicate with the committee secretary and the committee will see to it that the book reaches Miss Gung.
The Committee is disappointed that it has received so little results from its appeals to the assemblies and youth groups to promote contacts with African students in this country. It is hoped that the friends will work into their teaching activities special programs for making such contacts and teaching the African Students.
Additional Radio Scripts Now Available[edit]
- Script No. 551 — General interview on the Faith and its basic teachings.
- Script No. 651 — A talk script. A general script on: What is the Bahá’í Faith?
- Script No. 751 — A talk script based upon “The Promised Day is Come.”
- Script No. 851 — An interview script on the Bahá’í House of Worship.
All scripts are fifteen minutes in length. Cost per script 25c plus postage. Average postage 9c per script, 18c airmail. Send stamps, coins, or bills—do not send money orders or checks. Address request for scripts to: William B. Sears, Chairman Bahá’í National Radio Committee, Post Office Box 556, West Chester, Pennsylvania. (Note new address.)
Convention Announcements[edit]
Date April 24, 25, 26, 27
The believers are requested not to bring to the convention any non-Bahá’ís, no matter how close to the Faith they may be. Non-Bahá’ís will not be admitted to the convention sessions, so please do not put your friends to the embarrassment of being refused admittance. The Feast of Ridván and the Public Meeting are the only occasions when non-Bahá’ís will be admitted. Your compliance with this regulation will be greatly appreciated.
Registration
The Temple will be open all day Wednesday, the day preceding the convention, from 10:00 A.M., to closing to accommodate those who wish to register early.
Meals
The Food Committee announces that this year’s food will be served by the P. C. McCullough Catering Service. Breakfast, luncheon and dinner will be served. All items will also be priced separately for those who wish. The Committee hopes that this service at the Temple will be patronized, for installing adequate handling represents a big task. The food will be of the best quality. It will be especially priced for us and will be as low as possible.
Feast of Riḍván
Will be observed the evening of April 23rd.
Public Meeting
To be announced later.
[Page 15]
Volunteers
In order to have the convention run smoothly the help of many people is needed. If you are interested in offering your services, even if only for a few hours, please send your offer of help to the Convention Arrangements Committee, c/o Mrs. Eleanor Stewart, 121 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill.
Reservations
Believers planning to attend the National Convention are urged to act promptly on their hotel or room reservations.
Those who wish to stay in private homes are requested to write the Housing Committee, 221 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Ill.
Hotel reservations are to be made by believers direct. If you wish a hotel reservation for the convention period you can make your own arrangement with any of the following hotels:
- The Evanston Hotel, 840 Forest Ave., Evanston, Ill.
- Rates: Single $4.00 — Twin $7.00.
- The Evanshire Hotel, 860 Hinman Ave., Evanston, Ill.
- Rates: Single $4.50 — Twin $7.00
- The North Shore Hotel, 1611 Chicago Ave., Evanston, Ill.
- Rates: Single $5.50 — Twin $8.00
- The Georgian Hotel, 422 Davis St., Evanston, Ill.
- Rates: Single $5.50 — Twin $7.50
Deposit must accompany Hotel reservations.
The Louis G. Gregory Memorial Service[edit]
On Saturday, November 24, 1951 a national Bahá’í memorial service was held at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette. This service was in tribute to Louise G. Gregory, outstanding Bahá’í teacher and first American Negro Hand of the Cause. Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís came from near and far places to attend this historic meeting which was an occasion of great inspiration and spiritual re-dedication.
The memorial service was opened by a reading of the Guardian’s cable which praised the work, and announced the spiritual station of “dearly-beloved, noble-minded, golden hearted Louis Gregory,” whose name and life are to be revered by future generations of Bahá’ís.
The prophetic and thought-provoking words of the Guardian were followed by a few introductory remarks from Mrs. Frank Baker, chairman of the service, who spoke of the significance of the memorial, the great station Mr. Gregory had achieved, and the beautiful pattern of dignity, humility, courage and service his life affords Bahá’ís all over the world.
The Prayer for the Departed was read by Mrs. Louise Gregory, the wife, life-long helper and faithful companion of Mr. Gregory. She read the prayer with such clear and fervent tones that those who listened were reminded of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words that in prayer there is a mingling of stations and conditions.
Two beautiful selections from the Bahá’í writings followed this prayer. They were read by Mr. Paul Haney and Mr. William Foster.
The life and work of Louis Gregory were lovingly and impressively given by Mr. Harlan Ober and Mrs. Joy Earl. Mr. Ober a long-time friend and teaching associate of Mr. Gregory related interesting experiences from his early life, his student years and his early period as a Bahá’í. After graduating from Fiske University in Nashville, Tennessee, Louis Gregory came to Washington, D.C. and decided upon a legal career. While in this city he learned of the Bahá’í meetings from a southern friend who urged him to attend them and to study the Faith “because it was something he should know about”. From his first contacts with the faith Louis Gregory showed a sincere and deep love of the teachings. He drank deeply of the Truth, so much so that in later years ‘Abdu’l-Bahá often referred to him as a “Wooer of Truth.”
Mr. Ober also reviewed the period of Louis Gregory’s visit with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and gave the account of that visit which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself related. He said that during his visit Louis Gregory received a new life and power and became a new creation. The truth of the Master’s words was revealed, for when Louis Gregory returned to America he had been set aflame with the love of the Faith, and became one of its most outstanding teachers. He put aside all personal life for the Faith of God. He traveled widely and spoke to people of all races and backgrounds. They were won by his sincerity, his purity of heart and his clear and eloquent presentation of the Teachings. He had the rare faculty not only of attracting people to the Faith, but of confirming and deepening them in its truths. Mr. Ober recalled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s classic and compelling tribute to Louis Gregory:
“He is like pure gold. This is why he is acceptable in any market and is current in any country.”
Mrs. Joy Earl, devoted friend of the Gregorys’ who had known Mr. Gregory as teacher, friend, and fatherly guide, continued the picture of Mr. Gregory’s life. She pointed up the great emphasis his life gave to human unity and the abolition of prejudices. During that wonderful visit with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Louis Gregory was given a special teaching mission, that of uniting the races. In his talks with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he learned that the Master’s great heart was deeply troubled over America’s susceptibility to the cancerous growth of race prejudice. He questioned Louis Gregory on many things in America and finally commanded him to become the cause of conciliation, harmony, and love in the hearts of the American people. In the execution of this mission, Louis Gregory sacrificed personal ambition, comfort, and freedom. He gave up a promising legal career which would have meant both recognition and security. He gave up personal love and attained a spiritual love. His work, his marriage, his every effort became an endeavor to promote the oneness of mankind and the aims and principles of the Bahá’í Faith. In his path of service he encountered many trials and sacrifices. The steady burning love for God in his heart was his light for all darkness and his shield in meeting difficulties.
There were many who came to him filled with rancor, intolerance and selfishness. But with a loving heart he drew these things from them and replaced the negative emotions with a dynamic sense of human unity which brought them many unforgettable experiences in true brotherhood and noble social behavior. Those who studied Louis Gregory came to understand that his rare teaching results came from his complete reliance upon God, and his utter detachment from all else but Him.
[Page 16]
A closing tribute to Louis Gregory’s work in helping
to establish the administrative principles of the Faith
was given by Mrs. Baker. She recalled that Louis Gregory was elected to the first National Bahá’í Assembly
in 1922, and that he served 14 terms as a member of
that body until his retirement in 1946. During this period
he helped to organize the racial amity work, and to
take part in the college teaching projects whereby
Bahá’í speakers were sent to numerous white, colored,
and Indian schools all over the country. He wrote several teaching pamphlets and through all the years of
his life taught the principles of the Faith with motive,
word, and deed.
Two further selections from the Bahá’í writings were read by Miss Elsie Austin and Mr. Leroy Ioas at the close of the speakers’ remarks.
The service ended with a reading of the many beautiful tributes to Louis Gregory which came by letter and by wire from all over the Bahá’í World Community. There were messages from the British Isles, from India, from Egypt, from Tanganyika, and from Ethiopia.
Thus Louis Gregory in death, even as in life, cemented the hearts of people from all races and backgrounds, and fired those hearts with an inspiration to better serve the cause of human unity.
Note: An article on the life and services of Louis Gregory is now in preparation and will appear as an insert in an early issue of Bahá’í News.
In Memoriam[edit]
Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup that is life indeed. It bestoweth joy and is the bearer of gladness. It conferreth the gift of everlasting life.
- Mrs. Susan S. Parden, New York, N.Y. about November 24, 1951
- Mrs. Adelaide Alderson, San Diego, Calif. October 29, 1951
- Mrs. Blanche Motschman, Circleville, Ohio November 9, 1951
- Mrs. Frances Brewer, Lily Dale, New York December 14, 1950
- Mrs. Carrie P. Smith, South Gate, Calif. December 3, 1951
- Mrs. Annie Swenson, Kenosha, Wisconsin December 10, 1951
- Miss Alice Higginbotham, Boston, Mass. November 28, 1951
- Mrs. Margaret Loveday, Portsmouth, N.H. November 29, 1951
- Mr. Robert L. Davis, Highland Park, Mich. December 16, 1951
- Mrs. Anna Marsh, Avon, New Jersey, December 4, 1951
- Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, North Lovell, Maine December 20, 1951
- Mr. Alfred H. Uhalt, Jackson, Miss. December 13, 1951
- Mr. J. Thomas Wood, Wilmette, Ill., January 22, 1952
Marriages[edit]
Baltimore, Maryland, Miss Francesca Kratz to Mr. William Burgess (non-Bahá’í) October 27, 1951
Brattleboro, Vt., Mrs. Bobbie Jones to Mr. Lisle Pollard (non-Bahá’í) November 19, 1951
Morongo Valley, Calif., Mrs. Anne Gordon to Mr. David A. Mitchell (non-Bahá’í) December 1, 1951
Washington, D.C., Miss Rhoda Frances Smith to Mr. John Dobbin (non-Bahá’í) November 25, 1951
Forreston, Ill., Miss Gloria Hassenrick to Mr. Chester Kirby (non-Bahá’í) November 18, 1951.
Des Moines, Iowa, Mrs. Catherine Whitmore to Mr. Verner C. Andreasen (non-Bahá’í) November 22, 1951
Correction[edit]
(Names and date incorrect in November Bahá’í News)
San Francisco, Calif, Miss Theresa Groger to Mr. Frank F. Ganong (non-Bahá’í) April 6, 1951
Directory Additions and Changes[edit]
Local Spiritual Assemblies:
- Boise, Idaho
- Miss Elizabeth Adelmann, Sec’y.
- P.O. Box 2224
- Boise, Idaho
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Mr. Joseph P. Silva, Sec’y. pro tem
- 24 Salter St.
- Anchorage Recording District
- Mrs. Evelyn Huffman, Sec’y.
- Box 847
- Spenard, Alaska
Regional Teaching Committees:
- Alaska
- Mrs. Evelyn Huffman, Sec’y.
- Box 847
- Spenard, Alaska.
BAHA’I NEWS is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Copies are sent without charge to Bahá’ís throughout the United States, and to Bahá’í administrative bodies in other lands. Its purpose is to keep members of the Faith informed of international, national and local Bahá’í developments, and serve as an organ for the distribution of messages written by the Guardian of the Faith, the International Bahá’í Council, and the general announcements prepared by the American National Spiritual Assembly.
Reports, plans, news items and photographs of general interest are requested from national committees and local assemblies of the United States as well as from national assemblies of other lands.
BAHA’I NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee. The Committee for 1951-52: Miss Eunice Braun, Miss Garreta Busey, Managing Editor, Mr. Wm. Kenneth Christian, Miss Mae Graves, Mrs. Doris Holley, Mr. Horace Holley, Chairman, Miss Flora Emily Hottes, Mrs. Eleanor Hutchens, Mrs. Ruth Jones. EDITORIAL OFFICE: 503 West Elm St., Urbana, Illinois, U.S.A. CHANGE OF ADDRESS should be reported to National Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Illinois.
