Bahá’í News/Issue 284/Text
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| No. 284 | Bahá’í Year 111 | October, 1954 |
TEACHING MISSIONS BY MEMBERS OF AUXILIARY BOARD[edit]
The Guardian’s directives concerning the appointment and functions of Auxiliary Boards for Asia, Africa, Europe and the Western Hemisphere have already been published.
In a letter written to the National Spiritual Assembly by the Guardian’s Secretary on his behalf dated June 20 we find this further reference:
“The Guardian feels sure that the Auxiliary Boards recently appointed by the Hands of the Cause will stimulate and help the teaching work, which of course includes pioneer work, and be a prop and mainstay to the often overworked and overburdened National Spiritual Assemblies as well as to the Hands of the Cause who are carrying, usually, heavy administrative loads in addition to their exalted position as Hands.”
In this first report to the believers, the American Hands express their grateful appreciation of the co-operation freely given by the National Assemblies, National Committees, Area Committees and local Assemblies involved in the arranging of circuit teaching schedules assigned to the members of the Auxiliary Board appointed (as already announced) for the Western Hemisphere. They take occasion to express their genuine satisfaction also with the devotion and efficiency with which the Board members have accepted and carried out projects already assigned and under way.
It is impossible in the space allotted to attempt to report more than a brief summary of the circuits, to show the far-reaching area covered by their travels, omitting unfortunately the vivid details of their public addresses and Bahá’í discussions which are contributing a new and vital element of inspiration to the Bahá’í communities of North and Latin America.
Before developing specific projects, the areas which Board members might cover were defined, so that all parts of the Western Hemisphere can be brought into this work. The prime intention is to stimulate the development of our Bahá’í communities in order to assure the fulfilment of the consolidation work assigned to the Western Hemisphere in the Ten Year Plan; and to contact and encourage the pioneers already settled in virgin goals of the four National Assemblies concerned with this Hemisphere and its outlying pioneer posts.
The summary is presented chronologically.
1. Rowland Estall spent July 1-18 visiting the Bahá’í Communities of St. John’s, Newfoundland; Sydney, Nova Scotia (Cape Breton Island); Magdalen Islands, where a pioneer occupies this virgin post; the Maritimes Summer Conference at Shediac, New Brunswick; and Charlottetown and Prince Edward Island.
2. William deForge has visited Green Acre and Louhelen Schools, and Bahá’í Centers in New England. Later he will travel to cities along the Atlantic Coast as far south as Florida. A third project under consideration will be visits to Central America not covered by Katherine McLaughlin and Esteban Canales.
3. Margery McCormick has visited the Louhelen School and is preparing for a tour to fifteen Bahá’í Centers in South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
4. Katherine McLaughlin visited Green Acre and has served in Central America, visiting Mexico City, Puebla, San Salvador, Santa Ana, Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Taulobe and Managua.
5. Dr. Sarah Pereira during August visited the two Ohio centers of Munroe Falls and Mansfield. On August 28 she attended the first Bahá’í Summer Conference held at Blue Ridge, North Carolina, attended by seventy-five believers from thirteen States.
6. Florence Mayberry has visited Geyserville and Temerity Bahá’í Schools. She started early in September on a Canadian-United States tour which included the Bahá’í Summer Conference at Banff; the Canadian Centers of Nelson, Penticton, Vernon, Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Yellowknife and Fort William. Her visits to American Bahá’í Centers include Duluth, St. Paul, Fargo; three Centers in Montana; four in Idaho; nine in Washington; five in Oregon.
7. Margot Worley has visited Green Acre and has made visits to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Asunción, Santiago, Valparaíso and Osorno. A visit was to be made to Punta Arenas if possible.
8. Esteban Canales has been assigned a circuit including Mexico City, Puebla, Guatemala City, Chichicastenango, San Salvador, Santa Ana, Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Taulobe, Managua, Panama City, Colon. His circuit requires the time from August 16 to November 15, except for dates of National Assembly meeting which he attends.
9. Gayle Woolson’s assignment calls for a month’s teaching work in Guayaquil, and visits to Bahá’í Centers in Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia.
The schedules listed above, it is clear, establish a new teaching plan of considerable magnitude, made
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possible by contributions so far
made to the Continental Bahá’í Fund
by the Guardian, the National Assemblies of Central and South America, one local Assembly and twelve
individual Bahá’ís.
The work of the Hands and the Auxiliary Board in no way duplicates or interferes with that of the established administrative institutions. It is intended to uphold essential verities of the Faith and the organic teaching tasks of the World Crusade, in order to assist in releasing the spiritual enthusiasm and determination of the Friends.
American Hands of the Cause
- CORINNE TRUE
- HORACE HOLLEY
- PAUL E. HANEY
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY[edit]
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A CALL TO “EACH POTENTIAL CRUSADER”
From the momentous message from our beloved Guardian, published as an insert in the September issue of BAHÁ’Í NEWS, we quote the following appeal addressed to every individual American Bahá’í: “The mighty and laudable effort exerted, by a considerable number of pioneers, ... must ... be increased, doubled, nay trebled, and must manifest itself not only in foreign fields ... but throughout the entire length and breadth of the American Union, and particularly in the goal cities, where hitherto the work has stagnated, and which must, in the year now entered, become the scene of the finest exploits which the home front has yet seen.” As a first step in planning his response to this urgent call for that “rapid and unprecedented dispersion” anticipated by the Guardian, the National Spiritual Assembly urges each “potential crusader” to refer again to the statement and list of home front goal cities published in BAHÁ’Í NEWS, July 1954, and to communicate promptly with:
—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
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Beloved Friends:
One subject treated by the Guardian in his surpassing message of July 28 calls for special comment and attention. As the friends no doubt noted in reading this message, Shoghi Effendi lays great emphasis on the matter of interracial amity and accord.
“No less serious is the stress and strain imposed on the fabric of American society through the fundamental and persistent neglect, by the governed and governors alike, of the supreme, the inescapable and urgent duty—so repeatedly and graphically represented and stressed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His arraignment of the basic weaknesses in the social fabric of the nation—of remedying, while there is yet time, through a revolutionary change in the concept and attitude of the average white American toward his Negro fellow-citizen, a situation which, if allowed to drift, will, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, cause the streets of American cities to run with blood, aggravating thereby the havoc which the fearful weapons of destruction, raining from the air, and amassed by a ruthless, a vigilant, a powerful and inveterate enemy, will wreak upon those same cities.”
While the oncoming of destructive war has become destined, not subject to alteration by human will at this stage, the Guardian’s phrases while there is yet time, and if allowed to drift, indicate that in this realm the Bahá’ís still have power to mitigate a condition which, unchecked, will “cause the streets of American cities to run with blood.”
Words cannot express the solemn responsibility we all bear to strive to produce a “revolutionary change in the concept and attitude of the average white American toward his Negro fellow-citizen.”
Contemplating the import of this statement, we realize the several lines of effort we can and must collectively as well as individually undertake at once.
These efforts include: response to and participation by committees and groups in the announced plans of our National Interracial Teaching Committee; creation of a spirit of unity so strong that it will consciously or unconsciously affect every Negro we encounter with respect for and interest in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh; continuous resolve to influence the white people we encounter to accept the principle of the oneness of mankind; true solidarity in every Bahá’í community whose members represent more than one race; local public programs for promotion of that principle in all who can be attracted, white or colored alike.
The Master Himself foresaw and foretold the calamitous results of American race prejudice. The recent Supreme Court decision seems to mark the beginning of the period of crisis in this area of human relations.
PIONEER SETTLEMENTS ON HOME FRONT[edit]
Beloved Friends:
The Guardian’s concern over the work on the home front affects every American Bahá’í. Pioneer settlements in the United States goal cities represent a vital task of the Ten Year Plan and therefore involve the devotion and honor of our entire community.
The passages quoted in the September issue of BAHÁ’Í NEWS (pages 1-2) were taken from the Secretary’s letter written on behalf of the Guardian on June 20. They clear away any misunderstanding aroused by rumors about, and secondhand knowledge of, pilgrims’ notes. “If these are not achieved, the Plan will fail.” What could be more important, more challenging?
Now may a great number of the friends in the larger cities arise and “demonstrate their sterling qualities.” Indeed, recent reports from the American National Teaching Committee show that the new upsurge has already begun.
BAHA'I IN THE NEWS[edit]
In Protection, trade magazine of Travelers Insurance Co., 40,000 circulation, August 1954 issue, we find a feature article of two pages about Lawrence Hautz and the Faith. It carries two illustrations — Bahá’ís meeting the President of India, and Mr. Hautz presenting a steel plough to a native farmer at Old Delhi.
Through Miss Margaret Lentz we receive a clipping from Der Stern, a German publication widely read in Vienna, which reports the antagonism of Protestant and Catholic clergy to the plan of erecting a Bahá’í House of Worship near Frankfurt by the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria, the land for which has already been purchased. The mayor of Eschborn, Graf, has taken no action to annul the Bahá’í plans. The illustrations include a picture of the mayor, a Bahá’í ringstone, the peasant who made the first sale of land to the Bahá’ís, a large picture of the Wilmette Temple and a view of local residents who share the opinion of the clergy.
The news of this clerical protest was also published recently in Chicago Daily News on August 27 as a special item from Bonn, Germany. “German news magazines are making a minor sensation of proposals that a Bahá’í temple, similar to the one in Wilmette, Ill., be built at Eschborn, near Frankfort.” This same item was published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, on August 31, the Chicago Daily Tribune on September 14, and doubtless in other papers who subscribe to the same news service.
Mystic: The Magazine of the Supernatural, published in Evanston, Illinois, carried on the front cover of its October 1954 issue a reproduction of the picture of the Temple taken by The Chicago Sunday Tribune in 1944. The picture is referred to as “Symbol of the Oneness of Mankind.”
The Los Angeles Examiner on July 8 carried in a columnist feature article the information that the wife of former State Attorney-General Robert Kenny “has for months been working on an island off Africa as a Bahá’í missionary.” A similar item was published in San Francisco Examiner on June 30.
From Mrs. Shirley A. Morris has come a copy of Israeli magazine Sholom, received from Israel Tourist Information, New York, containing an article on “The Land of
The Mansion and Gardens at Bahjí. The large central building is the Mansion: beyond it, to the left, can be seen the tiled roof of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh.
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Faith” illustrated with views of the
Jazzar Pasha Mosque, the Holy Ark,
Italian Synagogue, Celebration of
High Mass, Church of the Dormition, and the Shrine of the Báb.
The Weekend Guardian, Sunday, June 27, published in Nassau, publishes a feature entitled “The Treasure Chest” compiled by A. Channel from various sources. On that date an excerpt was included from ‘Abbás Effendi.
The Denver Post, June 13, features a story on “Couple To Become Bahá’í Missionaries” concerning the plans of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Schneider to sell their home and pioneer abroad for the Faith.
On the same date, in a column entitled “Answers to What They Want to Know,” Sunday News, New York City, gave information about the Cause.
In its July 3 issue, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, carried a photograph of the Francis Johnson family and a feature article about their acceptance of the Faith and their Bahá’í activities—a human interest story.
WORLD CRUSADE[edit]
NINTH PIONEER REPORT[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States is happy to announce the arrival of the following pioneers at their posts in World Crusade goal areas.
ARRIVALS IN VIRGIN AREAS[edit]
Mr. and Mrs. Elias Sabri, with their four children, arrived in Djibouti, French Somaliland, May 6, 1954.
Mrs. Louise Groger arrived in Castro, Chiloé Island, Chilé, June 13, 1954.
Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Blakeley arrived in Nuku’alofa, Tonga Islands, July 12, 1954.
Mrs. Marcia Steward Atwater arrived in Majuro, Marshall Islands, August 7, 1954.
Miss Marjorie Wheeler arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon, August 18, 1954.
Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Mattoon arrived in Key West, Florida, August 24, 1954.
ARRIVALS IN CONSOLIDATION AREAS[edit]
Mr. Milton Heath arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 28, 1953.
Mr. Grant C. Hadden arrived in Johannesburg, Union of South Africa, May 6, 1954.
Mr. Merritt W. Bates arrived in Mexico City, Mexico, June 19, 1954.
Mrs. Sara Kenny arrived in Nice, France, from Madeira, June 20, 1954.
Mrs. Ella Duffield arrived in Nice, France, from Madeira, June 20, 1954.
Mrs. Idabel Kent arrived in Cienfuegos, Cuba, July 9, 1954.
Mr. Stanley Bagley arrived in Châteauroux, France, from Palermo, Sicily, July 23, 1954.
Mrs. Dora E. Worth arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, July 26, 1954.
Miss Margot Miessler arrived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 3, 1954.
Mrs. Kathryn Alio arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska, August 25, 1954.
Miss Marzieh E. Alio (youth) arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska, August 25, 1954.
Miss Elizabeth H. Cheney arrived in Monterrey, Mexico, August 26, 1954.
Mrs. Ellen Sims arrived in Asunción, Paraguay, in August, 1954.
Miss Lucile Webster arrived in Tokyo, Japan, in August, 1954.
Miss Margaret Pirkey arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska, September 5, 1954.
TEMPLE LAND IN JOHANNESBURG[edit]
On June 6, 1954, twenty-two Bahá’ís, including children, gathered on the newly purchased site of the future Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in Johannesburg, South Africa, to offer prayers of thanksgiving that the first major goal assigned by the Guardian had been accomplished.
Seated along a rock ledge, high above the city, every member of the group glorified in prayer the power of Bahá’u’lláh that had brought them from different lands, that had unified them in effort, that had enabled them to secure this area of ground which would be sacred to the ages yet to come. The session closed with a prayer for Shoghi Effendi, through whose direction, guidance and inspiration, victories such as this were being won in every part of the planet.
A special prayer was offered on behalf of Harry Ford, the first pioneer to give his life in South Africa. Through his teaching efforts, the first two new believers in South Africa were led to the Faith. He was among the first to begin the search for the Temple land. All present felt that it was indeed significant that as they prayed, they could look down the hillside to the very spot where Harry Ford lay buried.
The selection of this property came as the result of the united efforts of the entire Bahá’í Community through a search which the group began when the pioneers first came to Johannesburg nearly eleven months before. Now, atop one of the highest points in the area, on “their own land”, overlooking the city and its suburbs in every direction, believers from Pretoria and Johannesburg in South Africa, from Mbabane in Swaziland, and from Mafeking in Bechuanaland, linked their hearts in these prayers of thanks for the goal already achieved, and prayers of guidance to help them to accomplish those objectives yet remaining.
Many stayed for individual prayers, to gather a few souvenir stones, and to take pictures. At the hour of noon they turned to the north-north-east to recite the noonday prayer facing ‘Akká, the Qiblih of the Bahá’í world.
As the last of the group began their descent from the hilltop, they paused beside an acacia tree for a final prayer. A fresh breeze stirred across the valley. In the mind came a vision of the future when great crowds would stream up this hillside to pray within the House of Worship. These words of Bahá’u’lláh arose spontaneously:
“Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified.”
HOUSE OF WORSHIP SITE IN PANAMA CANAL ZONE[edit]
Through the cooperation of Bahá’ís of many countries, a site for the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Central America has been purchased. The five-acre
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The view at the left is the vista looking directly north from the site of the future Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in Johannesburg, Union of
South Africa. When there is no haze, the Voortrekker’s (Pioneer’s) Monument in Pretoria is clearly visible. The property lies
in the Emmarentia district, on the highest ground in that area. The lake in the center is formed by the Emmarentia Dam.
Just to the left of the Dam area, but not visible in this picture, is the cemetery where Harry Ford is buried.
At the right is a group of the Bahá’ís who gathered at the site of the newly-purchased Temple property to mark the achievement of the first major goal assigned by the Guardian. From left to right, seated in front: Audrey Robarts, Margaret Ford; seated, second row: Marguerite Sears, Valera Allen, Doris Ballard, Rose Selesnik, Dawn Selesnik, Bula Stewart, Eleanor Hadden, Alice Kidder, Helen Miller, Robert Miller, Jr.; standing, rear: William Sears, Sr., Michael Sears, John Robarts, Patrick Robarts, Grant Hadden, Lyall Hadden, John Allen, Nina Robarts, Karen Miller. Behind the group may be seen buildings in the Johannesburg suburbs.
acre plot, situated about seven miles from the center of Panama City, about 700 feet above sea level, commands a view of Panama City, the Canal Zone and the Pacific Ocean.
A cable from the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States crowns the achievement with these words: “HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS ACQUISITION TEMPLE SITE NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT WORLD CRUSADE.”
PIONEER LETTERS[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly wishes to share the following passages from pioneer letters, in keeping with its policy of keeping the Bahá’í world informed of the spirit and some of the incidents which characterize the unfoldment of the World Crusade.
Excerpts from Pioneer Letters to the Asia Teaching Committee[edit]
From Stanley Bolton, Jr.
Nuku’alofa, Tonga
“I am known quite widely here now and have settled in reasonably well. It will probably seem as incredible to you as it does to me that I am teaching at the Tonga High School. My appointment as acting Senior Master is something that sounds like a fairy story more than anything else. But then the old adage, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction’, is probably more applicable to Bahá’ís than anyone else. I was approached quite out of the blue to take on the job and even when they were told that I had no teaching experience they still insisted that I should take it. They are desperate for teachers and anyone who can help out is considered an angel.
“The other day a group of about a dozen youngsters, girls and boys, came up to me after science and I could see there was something on their mind. One of the prefects acted as spokesman, and, pointing to my ring, asked what the sign meant. I was surprised they should take the trouble to ask me but, of course, pleased as punch. I thought to myself that here is just an example of the inquiring child mind. I was happy to tell them the story; what it was, what it meant and a little about the Bahá’í Faith. When I finished there was an awkward but meaningful silence. Then the prefect who was the spokesman said, ‘Yes, we know. We read about it in Pix (magazine) in the library and saw your picture.’ I was astonished and tickled pink. It seemed surprising that they should see that small picture in a Pix over a year old and connect it with me. The fact was, they were checking to make sure it was I. Of course it went around the school like wild-fire, and in a day or two even the headmaster was talking to me about it. So now the whole school knows I am a Bahá’í and Pix has taught them silently without a word from me.”
From William H. Maxwell, Jr.,
with the armed forces in Korea; September, 1954.
“A native Korean contact, Captain ..., informed me tonight that he wanted to become a Bahá’í now. I was really quite shocked as I’ve scarcely known him a month and a half. He has read Faith for Freedom and tonight he promised to begin a study of New Era. The story of this contact is interesting.
“He is a captain in the Korean army, speaks excellent English, and tonight mentioned the possibility of translating the New Era. He knows Japanese well (was taught by Japanese teachers), has had three years of college and plans to go to America to study when he is discharged. I secured a position teaching algebra at night here at the education center. One night he showed up in class with the announcement that he wanted to brush up on mathematics (which he really did not need), and after class he wanted to talk about college life in America, and so a friendship was begun. Since that time he has been teaching me Korean and after these difficult sessions we study together a textbook
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on economics three nights per week.
Tomorrow we agreed to commence
a serious study of the Faith. For
three years he and his wife have
been considering joining a religion.
‘They all seemed to have too many
faults’, he said, ‘but this one is different.’ I never before realized so
much joy is concomitant with seeing
a ‘far-away’ person accept the Light
of Bahá’u’lláh. And this land sorely
needs that vitalizing Light.”
From Edith Danielsen,
Cook Islands, September, 1954.
“The second volume of Hidden Words (Arabic) has gone to press. This is in Rarotongan Maori. While there is some variation in meaning and spelling from island to island, it is well understood by all of them except Niue which doesn’t actually belong to the Cook group. The Maoris of New Zealand, I am told, will not understand this Rarotongan Maori, except for a few very old people. We are now working on the translation of the single sheet, Basic Facts of the Bahá’í Faith, by Kenneth Christian. It has taken five sessions to complete the first column of the first page.
“I asked a Maori who had heard nothing of the Bahá’í Faith to read back to me in English the section we had finished so that I might see what kind of sense it made to him. The shock was terrible; I was sick and discouraged, but as he went on I began to suspect what was later verified, namely, that his command of English was too limited to properly translate the Maori words. However, he became interested enough to ask permission to attend the next translating session.
“The task of translating into Maori is extremely difficult. We have spent as much as half an hour on one thought because the Maoris had no written language prior to the arrival of the missionaries and they are still not well advanced in their own language. It is a very meager language, with one word often meaning many different things. It is not only impossible to get the finer shadings of thought across, but almost impossible at times to convey a simple meaning because the language is so closely linked with Christian conceptions.
“Pa Ariki, the chieftainess of the Ngatanitaii tribe, has become my close personal friend and frequently drops in for a couple of hours.
“One of the chiefs of the same tribe—whom I have mentioned before—finally kept an appointment to come and talk with me about the Faith. We discussed it for an hour and a half and he took home with him the sheet on Basic Facts of the Bahá’í Faith. He is fully in agreement with everything he has been told so far. I was very happy when he complimented me on what he called my ability to use words he could understand, and to speak convincingly without ‘preaching.’ It is truly a joy to be told how you are doing, for most of the time we work in a sort of blackout.
“Last Friday I stopped by home in the middle of a progressive dinner party and found two unknown women talking on our private verandah. They were two pioneers on their way home. Their visas had expired and they could not renew them without leaving the island for at least four months. They, and we, had hoped to see Mildred Mottahedeh, but we could not get in touch with her for she was on her way to Tahiti.
“Dulcie and I have had opportunity to mention the Faith to quite a number of New Zealanders coming through. We hope this will have a helping effect on the great task to be done in that country in the next ten years. If so, it will compensate for these months of seeing so few manifestations of progress with our own work here.”
Excerpts from Pioneer Letters to the Western Hemisphere Teaching Committee[edit]
From John Leonard
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, South Atlantic, August 23, 1954.
“We are still in the depths of material winter, but the Divine Springtime has burst forth into bloom. The first and greatest news is that there is now another person here in Stanley using the Obligatory Prayers, the Aḥmád Tablet, and other Bahá’í prayers. She is firm in the Covenant, and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. She has known about the Faith less than a month.
“It is all the blessing and bounty of our beloved Guardian — and the greatest bounty of all is the increased ability to turn toward him at all times.
“The most wonderful opportunities for service have been popping up. I have been called upon to serve as the emergency night time operator on the Stanley telephone switchboard when the old man who normally handles the job can’t show up for work—had eight days straight, and tonight is another. Last week, the visiting nurse called me to stay with a very sick woman who was in a coma. She died before I arrived, but I slept in the house with the old man, her husband, until the funeral took place. Tonight over the radio he had placed an announcement of those people to whom he felt especially grateful for their services in connection with the recent illness and death of his wife. They were the doctor, the visiting nurse, and myself.
“As a substitute for other visual aids (of which I have none) I have been taking around to people my collection of personal photographs, including pictures of the Temple, the Master, Rúḥíyyih Khánum, and Mr. Samandarí. Many people have seen these and been most impressed. In one home they have requested me to return weekly to tell them about religion and similar subjects, and to have discussions.
“They are most eager and ardent. While I was doing the eight day stint on the telephone exchange, a young marine dropped in one night to talk about religion. A handsome, likeable, and most intelligent young chap, he had come to the point of questioning and rejecting his Roman Catholic allegiance, and he wanted to know how I felt about things. I told him, and now he has become very friendly and interested, and is asking for more discussions.
“One prays for unity and steadfastness for all the friends, that we may become a magnet to attract the unlimited Divine Confirmations, soar above the limitations of the earthly world, and become so burning with love that we can ignite a great flame in mankind.
“The Falkland Islands has a new radio transmitter, and it is just possible that you could pick it up. They broadcast on 581 KC. Our time is the same as Eastern Daylight Saving Time, and the broadcast period is roughly from 7 to 9 in the evening. If any of you manage to pick it up, everyone here will be pleased to hear about it. Incidentally, my talks are usually given on either Monday or Thursday evenings at 7:30 P.M., though the present schedule is irregular.”
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Bahá’ís of Suva, Fiji Islands. Fifth from the left is Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh who visited Suva during her tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Standing to the right of Mrs. Mottahedeh is the first Fijian Bahá’í to declare himself.
THE TIME IS NOW[edit]
Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh who has spent four months visiting Bahá’í pioneers, communities and groups in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, has sent a stirring report of her observations of the urgent need in those critical areas, not only for the comforting Message of Bahá’u’lláh but also for more Bahá’í pioneers. Every “potential crusader” will wish to give prayerful consideration to the following excerpts selected by the National Spiritual Assembly from Mrs. Mottahedeh’s letter written from the Fiji Islands, August 14, 1954:
“On May 13th I left New York for London where I joined my husband. Fortunately we were able to travel together until I left Tokyo for Manila. From London our route took us swiftly through Paris, Munich, Rome, Florence, Venice, back to Rome, Beirut, Bangkok, Saigon, Hong Kong, Macao, Taipei and Tainan (both in Formosa), Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Hyogo-Ken and Kyoto (all five in Japan), Manila, Guam, Truk and Ponape (both in the Caroline Islands), back to Guam in the Marianas, again Manila, Labuan, Brunei and Sarawak (in Borneo), Singapore, Djakarta, again Manila, Biak and Hollandia Haven in Dutch New Guinea, back to Biak, Sydney, Nandi, Suva and Deuba in the Fiji Islands from where this letter is being written. Before returning to New York the following stops are planned: Apia (Western Samoa), Papeete (Society Islands), again Apia and Suva, Sydney, Canberra (Australia), back to Sydney, Port Moresby (Papua), Lae (New Guinea), Honiara (Solomon Islands) and back to Brisbane (Australia) through Lae and Port Moresby, Noumea (New Caledonia), Port Vila (New Hebrides), again Noumea, Suva and Nandi, Honolulu, San Francisco, and God willing, home to New York. Tonga may be added before the trip is over. Because of limited transportation facilities most of the trips have had to be circular ones, returning to the same point again and again but all giving opportunity to visit the friends in all the stop-over points two and three times, however briefly.
“In Asia and the Pacific Islands live the greatest part of the world’s population. Their problems are overwhelming and nothing short of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh can solve them. Prejudices of all kinds are rife. The poverty of the masses is appalling. The political situation in many places is rapidly deteriorating and there is no true security anywhere. The privileged classes shut their eyes to the pressing problems around them. The native peoples are bewildered by the rapidly advancing tide of Western civilization and the numerous sects of Christianity which try to convert them. The people, even in small islands, divide themselves according to race, religion and class, and face each other with bitterness, indifference or hopelessness. The whole helpless body of Asia cries out in desperation for the solution which only the Bahá’í Faith can bring. We, who call ourselves Bahá’ís, say that we love humanity and that we desire the oneness of the human race. Here is where we can be the living demonstration of the sincerity of our beliefs. The pioneers and young communities are like beacon lights in a rapidly darkening world. As the darkness deepens these suffering people must have some light to guide them in their hour of desperation. Asleep they may still be and the search for the awakening ones is slow and long and fraught with many heartaches. Yet the light of hope and guidance must be kindled now before the darkness sets in.
“Do we love the comforts of our homes and the questionable security of our present economic status more than we love humanity? Are we clinging to the material non-essentials of our lives more than to the will of Bahá’u’lláh? Are we willing to sacrifice a little to hurry forward the Most Great Peace for which the world so hungers? These are the questions which every Bahá’í must ponder in his heart. The time has come to rouse ourselves from the accustomed round of our lives and to put forth that supreme effort to bring the healing medicine of Bahá’u’lláh to the sick body of the world. There is no minute to be lost. Asia and the Pacific desperately need teachers with dedicated hearts. Now is the time to prove that we are worthy to bear the name ‘Bahá’í’. No petty consideration can be allowed to stand in the way. Come while you still can. Your fellow Bahá’ís, struggling in this vast field, need your help. Is it possible to turn a deaf ear to their appeal?
“If you fear to face the discomforts of an unknown way of life, remember that there are thousands of Europeans who live here by choice and would not change places with your way of life. Asia and the Pacific are full of beautiful places and interesting people. Those who come here to live never wish to leave. Many of these people have children who receive as good an education as our children at home. Every big country or island has its medical service. Native food is generally good, bountiful and cheap, and many Europeans prefer it to imported food. Work is sometimes difficult to obtain and pioneers should arrange to be self-sustaining for the first six months until a situation can be found. Wages are lower but so are living costs. There are great varieties of climate and it is not too
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difficult to become accustomed to
even the very hot places. In fact,
there is no problem of living which
is really insurmountable. With patience and persistence there is always a workable solution.
“The pioneer needs great wisdom and endless patience. Teaching work must often go at a snail’s pace and when it must, the gains are all the sweeter. Always the pioneer is sustained by the promise of ultimate victory.
“Come, dear friends! A world of adventure in the spirit awaits and a cup of joy is prepared for you. An immortality in heaven and on earth is assured to the people of Bahá who arise to the Guardian’s call. The time is now!”
Bahá’ís desiring to consider the possibilities of pioneering in the goal countries of Asia and the Pacific Islands should write to:
- Asia Teaching Committee,
- Charlotte Linfoot, Secretary,
- 112 Linden Avenue,
- Wilmette, Illinois
INTERNATIONAL NEWS[edit]
CENTRAL AMERICA[edit]
The first native Central American believers to volunteer as permanent pioneers have reached their post. Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Monje, with their three small children, have settled in the consolidation goal city of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
More pioneers and settlers are needed, both from Central America and the United States, to establish the centers necessary as a foundation for the formation of ten National Spiritual Assemblies in Central America during the World Crusade. In Nicaragua, Guatemala and Martinique the needs are especially pressing. Knowledge of the French language would be helpful to anyone desiring to enter Martinique.
GERMANY[edit]
Temple Progress[edit]
The Temple Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria reports a lively interest in the Temple project since announcement of purchase of about 4½ acres of land on the Steinbacher Höhe near Eschborn for the Bahá’í House of Worship in Germany. The amount paid for the land was about $12,200.
On the evening of July 10, the day the contracts were signed, a session of members of the town council of Eschborn was addressed by the chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany, to acquaint them with the principles of the Bahá’í Faith and the purpose of the Temple. To this open session the mayor of Eschborn had invited representatives of the Protestant clergy. Many questions were asked and answered. One member of the clergy took a stand against the Temple project, while others spoke of the Faith with great respect. Great interest was aroused among newspapers, and articles on the “Temple of Eschborn” appeared in newspapers of Frankfurt/Main and of Berlin. In a radio interview broadcast from the Frankfurt radio station a representative of the Protestant clergy of Eschborn spoke against and the Mayor of Eschborn for the Bahá’í Temple project.
On Sunday August 8 a public meeting of protest was called by the Protestant clergy of Eschborn, inviting all Christian believers of Eschborn and neighboring villages, Protestant and Catholic, to attend. Pamphlets protesting against the Temple were posted on the door of the Protestant church in Eschborn and in other places in the villages. The National Spiritual Assembly heard of this protest meeting through a radio station announcement and arranged for a Press Conference to be held on Saturday afternoon, August 7, in Frankfurt. Representatives were sent to the Press Conference by well-known newspapers of Frankfurt and environs as well as by the Frankfurt radio station. The Conference, planned to last one hour, continued for over three hours because of the great interest shown in the Temple project and the principles of the Bahá’í Faith.
A second Press Conference, with reporters of illustrated journals, was held in Eschborn, and photographs taken, an hour before the protest meeting was scheduled.
At 3 p.m. on August 8 the public meeting, held in the sports hall of the school of Eschborn, was opened with a trumpet chorus. The hall was completely filled, with 800 to 1000 people. Leaders of the Protestant
The Local Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá’ís of Hyogo-Ken, Japan, second
Local Spiritual Assembly to organize in
that country. From left to right, seated:
Mrs. Moghbel, Mrs. B. Momtazi, Mr. P.
Marangella (chairman), Mrs. P. Momtazi; standing: Mr. A. Moghbel (secretary), Mr. G. B. Datwani, Mr. A. Katirai,
Mr. N. Momtazi (treasurer), Mr. R.
Momtazi, (vice-chairman).
and Roman Catholic clergy spoke about the Bahá’í Faith. The chief speaker, pastor of a church in a neighboring village, read passages from Esslemont’s Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era. He spoke respectfully of the Author of the Faith and of the Principles but, according to the Temple Committee’s report, “proclaimed that only Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He cannot enter one of the nine doors of the Bahá’í-Temple because in the Christian teachings there can be only one door, and that the Christians have to wait till Jesus Christ will come again, and that everybody who thinks that Jesus Christ has already come must be a heretic.”
The week after this public assembly many articles appeared in the newspapers about the Temple and the non-tolerant attitude of the churches.
Designs for the Temple are being received by the National Spiritual Assembly until the competition closes on November 30, 1954.
INDIA, PAKISTAN AND BURMA[edit]
The Tenth Anniversary of the Bahá’í School at Panchgani, India, was celebrated at the school August 1, 1954.
The regular Summer School of India will be held in Panchgani from October 16-25, inclusive. The National Youth Committee is in charge of arrangements.
Summer schools also will be held both in Pakistan and in Burma.
NATIONAL NEWS[edit]
EUROPEAN TEACHING COMMITTEE[edit]
In many of his messages since the launching of the Ten Year Crusade, the Guardian has referred to the need for sustained pioneering effort in Europe. Three areas in particular are very much on his heart: Spitzbergen, Finland and France.
In his most recent message, “American Bahá’ís in the Time of World Peril” he says:
“The all-important teaching enterprises in France and Finland, designed to broaden the basis of the infant Administrative Order in both countries, and extend the ramifications of the Faith to their chief towns and cities, is yet another responsibility which should be promptly discharged, as an indispensible preliminary to the establishment in each of these two countries of an independent National Assembly.”
In a letter to the European Teaching Committee, written through his secretary, dated May 24, 1954, he says:
“He hopes that in the near future you will be able to find self-supporting pioneers for France ... who will settle in the goal cities, and promote the work.
“He is most anxious that, when the way becomes open, a pioneer will get through to Spitzbergen.”
A letter from the International Bahá’í Council, dated June 27, 1954 and signed by the Secretary-General, said, “At one time the Guardian stated he thought at least fifty Americans should go to Europe during the coming year. He also said they should be self-supporting.”
The present condition of the National Fund makes it obvious that believers whose training will permit them to find employment in these areas should give most serious consideration to the task. Further, if the pioneer is self-supporting within his goal area, his position is more secure than one dependent upon funds from sources outside his assigned country. Europe offers many opportunities for employment. Job requirements and work permit regulations vary from country to country, so that each pioneer’s situation must be considered individually, in the light of his qualifications and the area to which he wishes to go. In general, teachers, secretaries, engineers or construction workers find employment with relative ease, but there are many other possibilities. An exception is Spitzbergen, where the major industry is coal mining and the approval of the director of the mining company must be secured. Yet this restriction is a chance for a believer familiar with some phase of mining to perform a signal service which will gladden the Guardian’s heart.
For specific information about current job opportunities in France, Finland, Spitzbergen and the other goal countries of Europe write to:
- European Teaching Committee
- 418 Forest Avenue
- Wilmette, Illinois.
For those of the friends who have pensions, it may be pointed out that these are payable abroad, in areas where the money will buy more than in the United States. Social Security payments are made in all countries with which the United States is not at war or which are not within a zone of Soviet domination.
Knowledge of the language of the goal country is helpful, essential in some cases, but it is not an insurmountable barrier. Any language can be learned more easily and more quickly in the country of its origin than elsewhere.
While France, Finland and Spitzbergen are of prime concern, the Guardian is also anxious to see a substantial influx of American believers into the other goal countries of Europe. Well within the time still remaining in the World Crusade, the European continent must see the rise of thirteen National Bahá’í Assemblies. The deteriorating world conditions outside the Bahá’í sphere make it imperative that these areas be reinforced while there is yet time.
The European Teaching Committee issues this appeal to the American believers, confident that meditation upon the situation in the light of the Guardian’s words will lead those of pioneer spirit to arise to meet this opportunity.
AMERICAN NATIONAL TEACHING COMMITTEE[edit]
We have plenty of:
- Application Blanks
- Goal Lists (or see July BAHÁ’Í NEWS)
- Information on the goal city of your choice
for all Bahá’ís who wish to heed the Guardian’s call for dispersal to goal cities.
Precious time is passing.
“Mount Your Steeds, O Heroes of God.”
- American National Teaching Committee,
- Mrs. Jesma Herbert, Secy.
- 725 South Alvarado Street,
- Los Angeles, 57, Calif.
INTERNATIONAL BAHA'I TEACHING PROJECT CENTERS ON HOUSE OF WORSHIP[edit]
When it was announced several years ago that the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches, representing some 160 million Protestants from all over the world, would be held in Evanston, Illinois, in August 1954, only a few minutes from the Bahá’í Temple in Wilmette, Illinois, some of us began to get excited. When it was later announced that the main theme of this Assembly would be “The Christian Hope” (later revised to “Christ, the Hope of the World”) we felt sure that the Hand of God was at work.
An advisory commission of 25 outstanding theologians was appointed by the World Council of Churches to define the Christian hope. The first report of this commission caused much confusion and anguish in liberal American Protestant ranks. This report, largely dominated by European theologians, stated rather bluntly that there was no hope unless and until Christ returned. The Europeans spoke with such conviction and persistence about the Second Coming in the two or three year period of preliminary discussions before the Evanston Assembly meeting that gradually American liberal Christian leaders, who had privately never believed in “The Return” and Bible prophecies concerning the “Latter Day” theme, were forced to re-examine their position regarding eschatology (“the doctrine of last things”). There was doubt in high Christian circles, therefore, that the Assembly at Evanston would agree on what constituted Christian hope.
Committee Plans[edit]
In the early part of this year the National Spiritual Assembly appointed a Committee to make some plans regarding the Evanston Assembly meeting. This committee expected great things to happen and great things did result.
Two new pieces of literature were prepared. Christ’s Promise Fulfilled, with a wonderful introduction by George Townshend, includes that portion of Some Answered Questions dealing with Some Christian Subjects. Also included were the Master’s statements regarding Manifestations and Cycles. Since this booklet has to do with many vital Christian questions which have caused controversy down through the ages we thought it would be of especial value at this time.
With the advent of the H-Bomb and the increased interest now being shown in eschatology, an excellent pamphlet entitled The Bahá’í Teachings on Life After Death was reprinted from England.
Following are some of the steps undertaken to make delegates and visitors at the Evanston Assembly Bahá’í-conscious.
- Attractive ads inviting delegates and visitors to visit the Bahá’í Temple were run in the Christian Century which is read by Christian leaders all over the world.
- Ads were also run in North Shore local papers.
- An official invitation to delegates and visitors to visit the Temple was extended by the National Spiritual Assembly.
- Attractive posters with a picture in color of the Temple were placed in strategic spots in Evanston.
- Personal invitations to attend a lecture on the Faith and Sunday Worship Services were sent to the delegates.
- The House of Worship was kept open during the entire month of August from 10:30 A.M. until 9:00 P.M.
- The Temple was floodlighted each evening for two weeks.
- The National Spiritual Assembly sent an invitation to the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Dr. Visser ’t Hooft.
- Some 1600 delegates, accredited visitors, official observers and members of the Press assigned to the Conference, visited the Temple. Extra guides, on duty at all times met visitors and answered questions.
- Visitors were presented with gift envelopes of literature, consisting of The Bahá’í House of Worship, Christ’s Promise Fulfilled, The Bahá’í Teaching on Life After Death, and the radio pamphlet The Promised Day of God.
- A list of the names of all delegates to the Assembly with their Evanston addresses was secured. Colored post cards of the Temple were printed with an invitation to attend a talk on the Bahá’í Faith given in Foundation Hall by Mr. Horace Holley. These invitations were placed in personally addressed envelopes and delivered to the various addresses listed.
- Mr. Holley’s talk, prepared for the delegates to the World Council of Churches Conference, is being put into pamphlet form. Twenty-five copies of this pamphlet will be sent to the various National Spiritual Assemblies in different parts of the world, for distribution to the delegates to this Assembly, whose names will be provided, at the discretion of each National Spiritual Assembly. Our teaching effort actually extended throughout the world!
Great Interest in the Temple[edit]
From the very first day visitors from the Evanston Assembly began to come to the Temple. In answering a question of one of the early inquirers, a Bahá’í guide quoted Lord Curzon. The lady, a bit startled, replied, “Lord Curzon was my father.”
One of the faithful guides was a former Lutheran minister. To say that quite a few clergymen were greatly surprised to be warmly greeted at the Temple by a former seminary colleague would be putting it mildly.
Many who visited the Temple in the early days of the Assembly told others. As a result there was a steady stream of visitors. Then, one night during the first week, the delegates and visitors were taken in chartered busses right by the illuminated Temple on their way to a concert. This night ride aroused much interest in the Bahá’í House of Worship.
On Sunday, August 22nd, some 2200 visited the Temple and the auditorium was well filled for the Worship program. The service was most impressive, with readings from most of the Holy Books and the atmosphere was spiritually charged. It seemed very fitting that Lew Ayers, the movie actor, should turn up at this exciting moment to take some pictures for a religious film he is producing. He had already been to the Bahá’í Shrines in the Holy Land.
Thursday evening, August 26th, Horace Holley gave a magnificent address on the Faith to a large audience in Foundation Hall.
The General Assembly[edit]
Now something about the Assembly itself: After about ten days of discussion and debate in small groups on the main theme (Christian Hope), a statement commenting on the group reports was presented to the Assembly delegates. American influence tended to tone down the European emphasis on the second coming of Christ and the end of history. Americans and Asians were not happy with this interpretation. They hoped, rather feebly, that somehow the Kingdom could be established on earth (in history). The Chicago Daily Tribune of August 26, in headlines on the front page stated “World Council of Churches Splits Over Christ’s Coming Again. Impossible To Reach Vote”. It should be noted that this Assembly in Evanston had the greatest Press coverage of any conference ever held in the United States except the Republican Convention of 1952.
Bishop Hanns Lilje, the Main Theme coordinating group chairman, mentioned some of the weak points in the 51-page report, which was to be sent to all Assembly churches for further study and prayer. He said:
- “The report obviously lacks that tone of joyful expectancy which was one of the most powerful motives of the missionary movement of the church.”
- “It has been felt that the Church’s conceptions of the hopes given to her will be inadequate as long as she can not speak more joyfully and more hopefully about them.”
Then Bishop Lilje pointed out that
there was special criticism of the
fact that the report does not speak
clearly enough of the personal hopes
of the individual Christian in relation to death and resurrection.
From the Bahá’í point of view it is interesting to note that, perhaps for the first time in modern Bahá’í history, an Assembly representing liberal Christians from all over the world are on record as believing in
[Page 11]
the Second Coming of Christ and
Bible prophecies. The European
Christians placed more emphasis on
and showed more interest in this
question than others but it was the
consensus that there will be a Second Coming. Bishop Lilje said: “The
Bible must be determinative for all
statements of Christian hope: the
Christian hope is not based on human expectations but on God’s
promise in the Scriptures.”
A New Teaching Opportunity[edit]
By focussing attention on several basic issues, the World Council of Churches is conditioning many minds for the Bahá’í Faith. For example, the great need for religious unity was frequently stressed. A strong statement was made against all forms of race prejudice, and belief in Bible prophecies and the Second Coming of Christ was repeatedly affirmed. Thanks to the Evanston Assembly of the World Council, millions of people have become or will become interested in the Return of Christ, the Judgment Day and the Latter Day theme. (We stress this latter fact because liberal Christian leaders heretofore have shown little interest in eschatology and Bible prophecy).
As followers of Bahá’u’lláh we know that, aside from the Bahá’í Scriptures, there is no authoritative statement or interpretation of the “latter day” prophecies and promises. Therefore, we must proclaim the Glad Tidings. In the words of our beloved Guardian, “Ours is the duty to hold aloft and undimmed the torch of Divine Guidance as the shades of night descend upon and ultimately engulf the entire human race.” “Ours is the function amidst the perils and agonies of this day to witness to the vision, to proclaim the approach of that re-created society, that Christ Promised Kingdom, the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.”
The Source of Hope[edit]
Someone has said that the greatest casualty of our time has been the loss of hope, the loss of faith in the future. The recent Evanston Assembly, according to most reports, failed to provide any firm basis for hope. Some think it may have added to the confusion of our times; therefore, as Bahá’ís, we must seize every opportunity to proclaim the glad tidings of Bahá’u’lláh. We must realize
Part of the audience which attended a meeting at the Ramírez Goyena High School
for Boys, Managua, Nicaragua, to hear a talk by Mrs. Katherine McLaughlin, member of the Auxiliary Board of the American Hands of the Cause. Mrs. McLaughlin
stands near the center of the group. At her right is the Director of the Institute; at
her left are Bahá’ís: Dr. Robert M. Hooker, Sr. Emilio Navarez Garcia, Sr. Armando
Fonseco Duval, Srta. Blanca Mejia, Srta. Mercedes Isabel Sanchez.
that a new page has turned in Bahá’í history.
We have wonderful literature which should be distributed widely and on a scale never before attempted. Christ’s Promise Fulfilled, Bahá’í Teachings on Life after Death, the Promised Day of God are most appropriate at this time. In the light of the Evanston Assembly, the Promise of All Ages appears to be an ideal introductory book. For those who want and appear to be ready for the creative word, The Glad Tidings of Bahá’u’lláh, with the very fine introduction by George Townshend, should have great appeal. The new twenty-five cent edition of Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Stanwood Cobb presents the Bahá’í hope to a despairing world.
If the crisis today seems unprecedented we must remember that the spiritual power promised and available today is also unprecedented. We close this report with this dynamic message from the Guardian. “Today as never before the magnet which attracts the blessings from on High is teaching the Faith of God. The Hosts of the Supreme Concourse are waiting, patiently, for the Bahá’í to step forth with pure devotion and consecration to teach the Cause of God, so that they may rush to His aid and assistance. It is the Guardian’s prayer that the friends will treble their efforts as the time is short and alas, the workers too few. Let those who wish to achieve immortality step forth and raise the Divine call—they will be astonished at the spiritual victories they will gain.”
OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
WINSTON EVANS
CONTACTS[edit]
A Follow-Up Plan by the World Council of Churches Committee[edit]
After the last World Crusade Message from our devoted Guardian, this is not the time for words but it is the time for action—action on a scale never before attempted in the United States.
To get to the heart of the matter, the World Crusade largely depends on the American Bahá’í community. The health and vitality of the American Bahá’í community at this crucial hour depends on the teaching effort on the home front. In his last message the Guardian indicated that the teaching effort had stagnated but that the current year must produce “the finest exploits which the home front has yet seen.”
What can the American Bahá’í community do in this time of world peril? First, we must realize that this may be the last chance for some of us to arise and play our part in this glorious crusade—that in reality the Crusade activities are our very salvation. If we lose ourselves in the home front teaching effort we will be truly amazed at the spiritual victories we will gain.
Contacts are the weakest link in our teaching effort. Nothing revitalizes the individual and the community like fresh contacts. In the final analysis the success of the Crusade and in a large measure the fate of every soul depend upon the individual and the collective teaching effort this year. Therefore, contacts must be made, and they can be made—by the thousands!
A short while ago a plan for developing contacts on a grand scale was presented, by the committee appointed to plan for the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches at Evanston, to the National
[Page 12]
Spiritual Assembly and received this body’s enthusiastic endorsement. Since the Evanston Assembly dealt largely with the Christian Hope, this committee thought
much about the Bahá’í hope and
how it could best be presented to a
despairing world. We are confident
that any individual or community
can literally be revitalized if they
will make use of this workable plan
which has been tried and tested.
A few weeks ago a friend and mother of two college students ’phoned to say she had read Phillip Wylie’s Tomorrow and that she was petrified. In this book Wylie takes two mid-western cities through an atomic war. It is so realistic that Civil Defense groups are urging people to read it, to overcome apathy regarding Civil Defense activities. Tomorrow leaves the reader in a rather tragic and hopeless state.
We thought we would try an experiment on our friend after she had finished with Wylie’s book, so we talked along these lines—“Would you like to know about the day after Tomorrow? Would you like to read Tomorrow and Tomorrow? It gives you a firm basis for hope in the future. Your children and their children will live in a world of peace. This is not a Pollyanna book. It presents the world picture realistically yet hopefully.” Our friend’s response to the reading of Tomorrow and Tomorrow was thrilling. She bought two copies and began to tell her friends. Her daughter bought two copies of Prescription for Living to take away to college.
In the last twelve months thinking people in every age group have suffered a great loss of hope. Therefore, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Stanwood Cobb should have a wide appeal and give hope to thousands. It has a special appeal to young people, (copies of this book should be placed on every college campus) men in the armed forces, parents, all who read Wylie’s book which has been on best seller lists this year, all who have been interested in the United Nations and World Federalist movements.
We list below those who read Tomorrow and Tomorrow. The important thing to stress is the fact that all of these people seemed eager to read the book. Many did not know it was a Bahá’í book, but all responded to the book’s message
- Home maker and mother of two college students.
- Teacher.
- Technician at Veterans Hospital.
- Indian student at Fisk University.
- Two Vanderbilt University students.
- A Persian student at Peabody College.
- Several in local Civil Defense office.
- Director of City Library.
- Book seller.
- Insurance man and World Federalist.
- President of local United Nations Association.
- Insurance company official.
- A shoe company executive.
- Head of a government department.
- A Yale graduate.
- An attorney.
- A professor in the School of Religion. (This professor talked about the book to his class.)
What was the response? To quote
only one statement which came unsolicited from a Vanderbilt student:
“I have been deeply impressed by
Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I believe
it should be taught in all schools just
as much as a student’s geography
book. In fact, it should be read by
everyone. It has been most reassuring to me.”
As a result of this experiment, the National Spiritual Assembly authorized the Bahá’í Publishing Committee to publish a large quantity of the complete text of Tomorrow and Tomorrow in booklet form, which made possible a $.25 edition of this book, formerly available only in the $1.50 edition. Bahá’ís everywhere will be deeply grateful for Stanwood Cobb’s gracious and complete cooperation in this project. The aim is to bring the message of the Faith to as many as possible in the time which remains. An excellent follow-up book, especially for younger readers, is Prescription for Living and, of course, The Promise of All Ages should have wide appeal.
Now a few words on how to present Tomorrow and Tomorrow. It is not necessary to even mention Bahá’í to the prospective reader. Just say something to this effect: “This is a book which is giving hope about the future to many”. If one presents it as a Bahá’í book, one could say Tomorrow and Tomorrow gives the basis for Bahá’í hope in a future world organization and an era of peace.
The recent Evanston Assembly of the World Council of Churches gave little hope to a despairing world. As the old lights dim and go out it is the duty of the Bahá’ís to keep alive these universal and God-given truths. We must proclaim to the world that there is a light to guide us through the darkness of these times.
If the American teaching effort has stagnated, obviously we must make a tremendous effort while there is yet time. The plan or the project may be perfect but the law of habit sometimes binds us like chains.
With all our hearts and minds we must believe the great promises of assistance enshrined in our glorious Teachings. In the words of the Master, “It is known and clear that today the Divine assistance encompasses those who deliver the message. And if the work of delivering the message be neglected the assistance shall be entirely cut off. Under all conditions the message must be delivered, but with wisdom”. Finally, these words from our beloved Guardian, “Today as never before the magnet which attracts the blessings from on high is teaching the faith of God...”
AREA CONFERENCES[edit]
Throughout the United States, Area Teaching Conferences are playing an important role in orienting the energies of the friends to the home front tasks of the World Crusade. Reports of some of these conferences, as given in the various Area Teaching Committee bulletins, follow.
Central Atlantic States[edit]
The Central Atlantic States Area Teaching Committee held a Conference August 28, 29 and 30 at Blue Ridge Assembly, North Carolina. Blue Ridge Assembly, a meeting place in the mountains, far from the noise and distractions of city life, was an ideal spot for consultation.
The highlight of the conference was hearing the Guardian’s message, “American Bahá’ís in the Time of World Peril.” Discussion of the message, under the leadership of Dr. Sarah Pereira, member of the Auxiliary Board, led to consideration of immediate practical steps to be
[Page 13]
Believers gathered at Blue Ridge Assembly, North Carolina, for the first major
Bahá’í Conference to be held in the South.
taken toward achieving the tasks the Guardian has outlined.
Another session, panel discussion of Christ’s Promise Fulfilled, led to plans for public meetings in various communities keyed to this theme.
At the close of the conference a spontaneous contribution to the National Fund was sent from the assembled members to the National Spiritual Assembly.
Central States[edit]
At the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, the Central States Area Teaching Committee arranged a conference which was held in the Temple Foundation Hall on Saturday, September 18.
Again, the Guardian’s message of July 28 set the key for consultation. Mrs. Margery McCormick and Mr. Winston Evans then reported on the results of the recent meeting of the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches, held in Evanston. (See pages 9-11.)
To close the conference, Mr. Horace Holley, Hand of the Cause of God, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, spoke on “What is Happening to the Bahá’ís.” Mr. Holley reviewed the development of the American Bahá’í community to its present position of responsibility in the forefront of the Global Crusade, pointing out the necessity to the individual believer to arise in the service of the Faith at this moment of destiny in the affairs of the Bahá’í world and of all humankind.
East Central States[edit]
Louhelen Bahá’í School was the site of an East Central States Area Teaching Conference held over the week-end of September 4-5. Consultation on mutual problems in terms of arriving at consistent, sustained action characterized the conference sessions.
East Central States Area Teaching Committee members also attended conferences in the following cities as coordinators of inter-community activity.
The Bahá’ís of Dayton, Ohio, and ten nearby cities and towns gathered at a picnic-conference in Walnut Hills Park on Sunday, July 25, to consult on extension teaching work in their area. Recent successes were reported and new projects discussed in a profound spirit of unity in service to the Faith.
Bahá’í group members and individual believers gathered in Kokomo, Indiana, Sunday, July 25, from throughout the state of Indiana, to consult on plans for inter-community action toward bringing each spearhead of the home-front campaign to assembly status.
Forthcoming Conferences[edit]
The next Central States Area Teaching Conference is to be held October 2-3 in Urbana, Illinois, in the Union Building of Illinois University.
The South Atlantic States Area Teaching Committee has scheduled conferences in ten localities throughout its area for October 8-15 on the theme “Faith in Action”.
Bahá’ís of Cincinnati, Ohio, plan a conference, to include all Bahá’ís living in areas around the city, for November 14.
State Conventions will be held throughout the United States on December 5, 1954.
ALASKA[edit]
In Alaska, the Area Teaching Committee has taken Nome, Kotzebue and Point Barrow as goal cities to be filled by next Riḍván, while at the same time reinforcing cities filled last year.
Contact with Eskimos of the Kobuk tribe has been made in Seliwik, just north of the Arctic Circle.
Pioneers in Unalaska have organized a children’s class. Children of non-Bahá’í parents as well as Bahá’í children attend.
HAWAII[edit]
Teaching efforts in the Hawaiian Islands take many forms.
As the result of a talk given as part of a comparative religions course, contact has been made with prisoners at Oahu prison. The marked transformation of one of these men has been favorably noted by the prison officials, and he has been given permission to present several talks on the Bahá’í Faith at Sunday services in the prison chapel. Bahá’í articles, written by inmates, are published weekly in the prison newspaper. Two members of the Oahu Bahá’í community visit the prison each week.
Service men at the Kaneohe Marine base also heard a talk on the Bahá’í Faith in connection with a course in comparative religions.
Members of the Java Club, an inter-religious group of service men sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, invited a Bahá’í to speak to them on the Faith.
In conjunction with the regular monthly Bahá’í radio broadcast, a fireside luncheon is held. After the broadcast, the questions of contacts are answered.
A public meeting was held at the Honolulu Bahá’í Center, keyed to the World Council of Churches meeting in Evanston, Illinois. A talk, “The Promised One Has Come”, was presented.
Visits to Kula Sanatorium to discuss the Faith with patients, picnics with contacts to discuss the Faith and presentations of books also figure among the activities of the believers.
Maui News, the most widely circulated newspaper on the island of Maui, Territory of Hawaii, now carries a weekly column entitled “Bahá’í World Faith”, containing quotations from the Writings. A picture of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, together with an article on the Faith, appeared on the religious news page of the Honolulu Advertiser.
[Page 14]
Monthly notices of firesides
are published in the Hilo Tribune Herald and pioneers there plan to
use Bahá’í Press Service releases.
CORRECTION[edit]
A correction has come, from the Hawaii Teaching Committee, to an item in BAHÁ’Í NEWS, July, 1954, on page 14. The report that Mrs. Daisy Sabin visited the leper colony on Molokai Island is in error. Mrs. Sabin did visit the island of Molokai and made contacts there but she did not go to the leper settlement, which is on a small, isolated peninsula on the north side of the island. To enter the settlement special permission is required.
NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS[edit]
The death of The Honorable Curtis D. Wilbur in Palo Alto, California recalled a reference to him in a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Mr. Willard P. Hatch.
During the summer months, Bahá’ís of Port Huron Township and Marysville, Michigan, have held Sunday morning breakfast meetings, followed by worship services in a park. Non-Bahá’ís attending have remarked the depth and sincerity of Bahá’í worship.
The fourth annual public meeting presenting the Bahá’í Faith at the Cathedral of the Pines, Rindge, New Hampshire, occasioned much favorable comment. The Springfield Daily News, Springfield Shopping News and the Springfield Union of Springfield, Massachusetts, all carried accounts of the meeting.
Mr. Moisa Bulboaca, an outstanding Bahá’í singer, includes quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh on the programs for his concerts of sacred music.
TEMPLE GUIDES COMMITTEE[edit]
The peak season for visitors to the Temple during 1954 is nearly over. From January 1 to September 1 this year the number has increased considerably over 1953, as shown here.
| 1953 | 1954 | |
January | 1805 | 3092 |
February | 2733 | 3530 |
March | 3207 | 4091 |
April | 3383 | 5333 |
May | 7591 | 9634 |
June | 9765 | 11154 |
July | 16120 | 17075 |
August | 19743 | 25762 |
| ——— | ——— | |
| 64347 | 79671 |
This makes 15,324 more visitors in 1954 than for the same period in 1953. While a conscientious effort is made to keep accurate count of visitors, the Temple Guides Committee is sure that more people visit the Temple than are counted.
It is interesting to note from the records kept that the Bahá’ís who have given so freely of their time and energy to service at the Temple have been comparatively few. Many have come from great distances and some have served two days a week. Without them it would have been impossible to take care of the vast throngs of people.
It is difficult to understand why more Bahá’ís, especially those who live in the vicinity of the Temple, do not avail themselves of the opportunity to assist in this important, interesting and thrilling Bahá’í activity. The results are most gratifying, as attested by the following letter from one member of a group which had toured the building:
“I wish to express my appreciation for the excellent tour arranged for our group. (Your representative) was certainly an interesting and inspiring guide. The discussion period was so stimulating that we had to continue it out on the lawn because of closing time.”
TEMPLE WORSHIP COMMITTEE[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has directed the Temple Worship Committee to arrange for the celebration of five Bahá’í anniversaries, feasts or holy days, according to present plans. Directives from the National Assembly have outlined the way in which these days are to be celebrated at the Bahá’í House of Worship.
The first part of the meeting will be held in the auditorium; the second part, in Foundation Hall. The meetings are to begin at 8:00 P.M., and they will be open to the public. At the commemoration of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh and the Feast of Naw-Rúz, refreshments will be served. The five anniversaries are:
- Birth of the Báb, October 20
- Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, November 12
- Day of the Covenant, November 26
- Feast of Naw-Rúz, March 21
- Declaration of the Báb, May 23
It is to be remembered that these meetings will take place on the evening preceding the date on the Bahá’í calendar.
AUDIO-VISUAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE[edit]
The Audio-Visual Education Committee offers Assemblies, Groups and librarians a stock of Bahá’í photographs on consignment, to be paid for when sold, with a margin of profit for the local fund. Write for information and a catalog of views available.
Another special catalog on projection and recording equipment and a new plan of distribution, may also be had upon request. Some closeout items, cameras, screens, record players and recorders are to be sold for less than wholesale cost.
- Audio-Visual Education Committee
- 126 Evergreen Place
- West Englewood, New Jersey
THORNTON CHASE MEMORIAL[edit]
As instructed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles, California, each year commemorate the passing away in their city of Mr. Thornton Chase.
Thornton Chase, the first Bahá’í of the Occident, accepted the Faith in 1894. In April, 1907, he visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the prison in ‘Akká, later writing an account of his pilgrimage. He died in 1912, a few days before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived in California.
The commemorative program this year was arranged by the Bahá’í community of Inglewood, California.
DEVOTIONAL PROGRAMS AT HOUSE OF WORSHIP[edit]
The Bahá’í House of Worship at Wilmette, Illinois, is dedicated to the Unity of God, the Unity of His Prophets, the Unity of Mankind. In this spirit, public worship is conducted each Sunday at 3:30 P.M. in the auditorium. Readers at these devotional programs include Bahá’ís and guests. Choral selections are by the Bahá’í House of Worship A Capella Choir.
The programs for the month of September follow:
Magnify the name of the one true God, and adorn yourselves with the ornament of His remembrance, and illumine your hearts with the light of His love.
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Let Thy Holy Presence—Tschesnokoff
- BAHÁ’Í SACRED WRITINGS
- Prayers and Meditations LXXX, p. 132
- Gleanings, pp. 303-305
- OLD TESTAMENT
- Psalm XXVII
- NEW TESTAMENT
- John 14:15-29
- CHORAL SELECTION
- O Thou, by Whose Name (a Prayer of Bahá’u’lláh)—Charles Wolcott
- QUR’AN
- Sura XXV: 1-17
- BAHA’I SACRED WRITINGS
- Gleanings, pp. 92-93: p. 59
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Hear My Prayer, O Lord—Arkhangelsky
All praise, O my God, be to Thee Who art the Source of all glory and majesty and honor, of sovereignty and dominion, of loftiness and grace, of awe and power ... Of all who are in heaven and on earth, none can withstand the operation of Thy sovereign Will. From all eternity Thou didst rule the entire creation, and Thou wilt continue for evermore to exercise Thy dominion over all created things.
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Let All the Nations Praise the Lord—Volckmar Leisring
- BAHA’I SACRED WRITINGS
- Prayers and Meditations, LIX, p. 94
- OLD TESTAMENT
- Psalms 19 and 100
- NEW TESTAMENT
- Matthew 4:10; John 4:23
- QUR’AN
- Sura XXIV. 36-38. 41-42; Sura I
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Praise Ye the Name of the Lord—Nikolai Tcherepnin
- BAHA’I SACRED WRITINGS
- Prayers and Meditations, pp. 271-272; LXXV, p. 123
- Gleanings, pp. 60-61
- Prayers and Meditations, CLIII, p. 245
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Now We sing Thy Praise—Tschesnokoff
Man should know his own self, and know those things which lead to loftiness or to abaseness, to shame or to honor, to affluence or to poverty.
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Sing and Rejoice—Will James
- BAHA’I SACRED WRITINGS
- Bahá’í Prayers, p. 84
- Gleanings, pp. 65-66; p. 143
- Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 167-168
- OLD TESTAMENT
- Psalm I
- NEW TESTAMENT
- Luke 8:5-15
- QUR’AN
- Sura VII:53-56
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Create in Me, O God—Brahms
- BAHA’I SACRED WRITINGS
- Gleanings, pp. 259-260: pp. 77-78: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, From the Arabic, Nos. 12, 13
- Prayers and Meditations, CLXXIII, p. 264
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Go Not Far from Me, O Lord—Haydn-Morgan
The highest and most excelling grace bestowed upon men is the grace of “attaining unto the Presence of God” and of His recognition, which has been promised unto all people.
- BAHA’I SACRED WRITINGS
- Prayers and Meditations, CXVI, p. 197
- The Kitáb-i-Iqán, p. 97
- CHORAL SELECTION
- The Lord’s My Shepherd—arr. Gordon Jacob
- OLD TESTAMENT
- Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
- NEW TESTAMENT
- James 4:1-10
- QUR’AN
- Sura XXX:4-18
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Bless the Lord, O My Soul—Ippolitof-Ivanof
- BAHA’I SACRED WRITINGS
- The Kitáb-i-Iqán, pp. 103, 118, 138
- The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, From the Arabic, Nos. 11, 15
- CHORAL SELECTION
- Let Thy Holy Presence—Tschesnokoff
PUBLICATIONS[edit]
From the Sweet-Scented Streams. Sheet music edition prepared for solo voice of the prayer of Bahá’u’lláh, with music by Charles Wolcott. Cover has an attractive drawing of Temple with this caption: “From the Sweet-Scented Streams is sung occasionally by the Bahá’í á cappella choir at the Bahá’í House of Worship, pictured above, in Wilmette, Illinois.” An item that can be appropriately presented to any music lover. A nice gift item. 12 pages, 9 x 12 inches.
Per copy | $ .75 |
10 copies | 6.00 |
Tomorrow and Tomorrow, booklet. The full text of the book by Stanwood Cobb, prepared in saddle-stitched, pamphlet form. A large quantity has been printed to effect a low price in preparation for a campaign to use this booklet extensively in contact work throughout the country. Details of the plan can be found on page 12. 82 pages, 7 x 4½. Paper cover. Specify booklet in ordering.
Per copy | $ .25 |
20 copies | 4.50 |
Divine Art of Living, Discussion Outline. Revised edition of outline prepared by Marian Lippitt. Seven Round Table Discussions based on the well-known text, The Divine Art of Living, on problems concerning the individual and his pattern of personal living. The seven topics cover such subjects as “Better Understanding of Yourself,” “A Pattern of Life that Eliminates Frustration” and others that bring out the need for the Revelation of God for this day. Questions such as “Is it possible to be happy in these days of world unrest?”, “Must we accept all illness and suffering as punishment?”, “What should our attitude be toward someone we know is doing wrong?” are presented for discussion with references to portions of the text applying to them. Lively and interesting firesides can be planned around this discussion outline since it approaches the human heart on the level of life’s personal needs, where must human hearts must first be reached.
Per copy | $ .20 |
6 copies | $1.00 |
Kitáb-i-Íqán, Study Guide. By Horace Holley. Reprint of item that has been out of print for many years. The Introduction to this guide states, “The Kitáb-i-Íqán is the key to the study of comparative religion, in establishing the oneness of all the successive Manifestations, His re-return from age to age, the reasons for the periodic rise and fall of religions.” This study guide helps in working out a helpful method of approach by indicating the dominant themes and their text references in this book which the Guardian states is “unsurpassed among the Writings of the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation.”
Per copy | $ .20 |
6 copies | $1.00 |
Bahá’í Prayers (General) Prayers of universal appeal and application, ideal as a gift for anyone, Bahá’í or non-Bahá’í. 4 by 6¼ inches, 112 pages, bound in old ivory Span-O-Tone.
Each | $1.25 |
Bahá’í Prayers (Combined) All the prayers of the General edition plus occasional prayers of special significance for Bahá’ís, such as The Obligatory Prayers, The Tablet of Aḥmád, Prayers for Marriage. Both editions have been carefully checked for authenticity of translation. 4 by 6¼ inches, 189 pages, bound in green, simulated morocco.
Each | $1.50 |
Life After Death. By Florence Pinchon. Bahá’í teachings on immortality, convincingly expounded and carrying a message of assurance for the increasing human anxieties of our day. This special edition has been prepared for the World Council of Churches Committee for use in their contact work. Bahá’ís should find a wide use for this pamphlet, which gives the Bahá’í attitude of serene faith in the face of death. Standard small pamphlet size, deep green and white cover.
(minimum order) 10 copies | $ .50 |
100 copies | $4.00 |
Please address all inquiries and orders for publishing items to:
- Bahá’í Publishing Committee
- 110 Linden Avenue
- Wilmette, Illinois
- 110 Linden Avenue
- Bahá’í Publishing Committee
MARRIAGES[edit]
“Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily, this Thy servant and this Thy maid-servant have gathered under the shadow of Thy mercy and they are united through Thy favor and generosity. O Lord Assist them in this Thy world and Thy Kingdom and destine for them every good through Thy bounty and grace ...”
Lisbon, Portugal — Miss Charlotte Stirratt to Mr. João José Fiúza da Silva Pinto, July 29, 1954.
Sakura-bashi, Osaka, Japan — Miss Nehrat Momtari to Mr. Robert Imagire, August 7, 1954.
IN MEMORIAM[edit]
|
National Bahá’í Addresses
NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í ADMINISTRATIVE HEADQUARTERS:
NATIONAL TREASURER:
Make checks Payable to:
National Bahá’í Fund BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE:
BAHÁ’Í NEWS:
Subscription and
|
“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. Mabel Sawdey
- Shelby, Montana
- July 24, 1954
- Mrs. Mabel Sawdey
- Mr. Horace B. Austin
- Dumont, New Jersey
- July 20, 1954
- Mr. Horace B. Austin
- Mrs. Della C. Quinlan
- Montclair, New Jersey
- July 30, 1954
- Mrs. Della C. Quinlan
- Mr. Albert D. Robinson
- Chicago, Illinois
- August 25, 1954
- Mr. Albert D. Robinson
- Mr. A. C. Wilder
- Waukegan, Illinois
- August 9, 1954
- Mr. A. C. Wilder
- Mr. William Loveday
- Burlington, Vermont
- (date not reported)
- Mr. William Loveday
- Mr. Robert H. Scott
- San Francisco, California
- (date not reported)
- Mr. Robert H. Scott
CALENDAR OF EVENTS[edit]
- HOLY DAYS
- October 20, Birth of the Báb
- November 12, Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
- November 26, Day of the Covenant
- November 28, Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
- FEASTS
- October 16, ‘Ilm, Knowledge
- November 4, Qudrat, Power
- November 23, Qawl, Speech
- NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS
- October 8, 9, 10
- November 12, 13, 14
- BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP
- Visiting hours
- Weekdays and Saturdays:
- 1:00 P.M.—4:00 P.M.
- (the Auditorium only will be open)
- Sundays: 10:30 A.M.—5:00 P.M.
- (the entire building will be open)
- Weekdays and Saturdays:
- Service of Worship: Sunday at 3:30 P.M., lasting until 4:15. (No guided tours will be conducted during the program of worship.)
- Holy Days and Anniversaries celebrated at the Bahá’í House of Worship
- Birth of the Báb, October 20
- Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, November 12
- Day of the Covenant, November 26
- Holy Days and Anniversaries celebrated at the Bahá’í House of Worship are open to the public. The meeting begins at 8:00 P.M. of the day preceding the anniversary date.
| NATIONAL TEACHING | |
| Bahá’í Inter-Racial Teaching | Colorado |
|---|---|
| Miss Lydia J. Martin, Secretary, 11529 Kelton Avenue, Cleveland 6, Ohio. | Denver: Mr. John Conkling, Secy. Pro Tem: 1445 Gaylord Street. |
| PROCLAMATION | |
| Service to the Blind | Michigan |
| Mrs. Margaret H. Whitehouse, Secretary; 616 North Oxford Avenue, Los Angeles 4, California. | Detroit: Miss Violet Wuerfel, Secy.; 8656 Dumbarton Z 4. |
| ASSEMBLY SECRETARIES | |
| California (North) | Wisconsin |
| Berkeley: Mrs. Alice Dent, Secy. Pro Tem; 851 Jones Street | Wauwatosa: Mrs. Norine M. Ward, Secy.; 6417 West North Avenue. |
BAHA’I NEWS is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.
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. Material is due in Wilmette on the tenth day of the month preceding the date of issue for which it is intended.
BAHA’I NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee. The Committee for 1954-1955: Mrs. Eunice Braun, Managing Editor; Mr. David Ned Blackmer, Assistant
Editor; Mrs. Beatrice Ashton, Miss Edna True.
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
