Bahá’í News/Issue 335/Text
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| No. 335 | BAHA’I YEAR 115 | JANUARY, 1959 |
Message to 1958 State Conventions from the Hands of the Cause in America
WHILE in this hour all American Bahá’ís are immersed in the pressing tasks of the homefront, let us raise our eyes to the level of the universality of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, from which the purpose of our human existence and the devotion of our hearts are continuously nourished.
That universality, created for mankind in the text of His Revelation, was maintained in its full integrity from 1392 to 1921 by the Center of His Covenant, and from 1921 to 1957 by the Guardian of His Faith.
With the passing of our beloved Shoghi Effendi on November 4, 1951, the responsibility for preserving the unity of the believers throughout the world has rested upon the Chief Stewards of the Commonwealth of Bahá’u’lláh by express appointment and direction of the Guardian himself. Though the Chief Stewards supply the instrument through which the Bahá’í World Community is guided and encouraged to complete the projects defined by the Guardian, that weighty mission cannot be fulfilled except through the conscious knowledge and the ardent cooperation of the believers themselves.
It will be well to review on this occasion the salient passages in the letters we have received from Haifa since the Guardian’s passing.
The Proclamation issued on November 25 by the entire body of Hands assembled at Bahjí contained the words: “Is not the most precious legacy bequeathed to us by Shoghi Effendi the privilege of constancy in the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and devotion in teaching His Message? This is the heartfelt plea we direct to every Bahá’í: The hour has come, as it came with the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, when true Bahá’ís will be distinguished by their firmness in the Covenant and their spiritual radiance while pressing forward the mighty work committed to every area of the world community-to every individual Bahá’í! . . .
“When that divinely ordained body (that is, the Universal House of Justice) comes into existence, all the conditions of the Faith can be examined anew and the measures necessary for its future operation determined on consultation with the Hands of the Cause.”
On December 13 this cabled message was transmitted for all national assemblies and believers: “Conferences (that is. the five Intercontinental Conferences announced by the Guardian for 1958) provide unexampled opportunity to demonstrate mysterious divine farce animating our dearly-loved Faith, the vitality of the institutions of the embryonic world order, and the determination of the Bahá’í community to diffuse uninterruptedly the fragrance of Bahá’u’lláh’s mighty Revelation to a fear-laden humanity, deprived of power to recognize the Divine Light unaided.”
Two months later we received this significant message: “We do not know what the future holds in store; by this we mean that the world situation is so precarious that, as the Guardian so repeatedly pointed out, wars and disturbances of an unforeseen nature may break out and perhaps cut the World Center off from all or part of the other Bahá’í centers temporarily; meantime we have this mighty plan, the last five years of it to vigorously prosecute; it can only be coordinated and directed from the World Center. . . .
“You and we must always bear in mind that what inspires and unites the Bahá’í World Community is the pulsating stream to and from one universal point . . . The Guardian himself spoke in his last message to all national assemblies of ‘the Holy Land——the Qiblih of a world community, the heart from which the energizing influences of a vivifying Faith continually stream, and the seat and center around which the diversified activities of a divinely appointed administrative order revolve.’ ”
In a cabled message received on April 20, the believers were invited to contribute to a special memorial tund for the purpose of erecting a monument at his grave in the London cemetery. By this decision the Custodians offered a worldwide project which unitied the Bahá’ís in a common gratitude for the beloved Guardian’s unique services to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. A recent cable from Rúḥíyyih Khánum in London announced that the monument had been completed.
On June 12 the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land
issued a grave and serious call for unified understanding: “We call upon all believers, for the sake of
preserving the unity of our beloved Faith for which
the Báb was martyred, Bahá’u’lláh and the Master
imprisoned, and for which the beloved Guardian so
completely sacrificed himself, to concentrate on the
thoughts expressed in the Proclamation, and to desist
from all further speculation on the future develop[Page 2]
1
ment of the institutions of the Faith—speculation which
can only give rise to those very differences of interpretation forbidden by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
and against which They repeatedly warn us . . . Our
sacred obligation is to fulfill our Guardian’s wishes,
his plans, and his most cherished hopes, leaving the
overall scheme of God to unfold as He sees fit, in His
mysterious ways, in the days to come, Let us be
confident that if we do our part He will never fail in
His, and with this assurance go forward unitedly, courageously, and with complete consecration.”
These words were received in a letter dated August 8, 1958: “The great waves of prayer and loving confidence which have come pouring in to us from the national spiritual assemblies and the believers all over the world, have reassured and sustained us, and have given us strength and courage as we labor to protect the World Center and maintain it as the unifying hub of the great wheel of the Cause our Guardian so carefully built up and set in motion. . .
“Beloved friends, we are now, together, embarked upon the most important work which human beings have ever done in the history of our planet. Ours is the precious privilege and the grave, inescapable responsibility of raising up that sacred institution, the Universal House of Justice. This can be done only after the complete triumph of his Ten-Year Plan, which is destined to lay the necessary foundation for that weighty and supreme edifice of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Who can fail to see that in the Bahá’í situation revealed by these messages, the pure spiritual vision coincides with the nearest and most practical task facing every believer and every Bahá’í institution? Thrilled by a glimpse of the Kingdom, we turn with redoubled energy to our daily efforts to serve the World Crusade, realizing in the depths of our hearts the fact that the Crusade must be achieved in full measure by 1963 if the Universal House of Justice is to assert its majestic grandeur and creative power against the dark forces which threaten to engulf mankind in a common ruin.
The unity of Bahá’ís throughout the world is no uniformity forced upon us at the cost of our self-respect and rational powers, but a pure expression of the Holy Spirit which descended through Bahá’u’lláh as God’s Supreme Gift to mankind.
The American Hands and the members of the Auxiliary Boards pledge their utmost support to the teaching work in every state of the United States where the problem of a laggard homefront has not yet been solved, and stand ready to deal with any evidences of Covenant-breaking or insidious attempts to darken the hearts of the believers and divide the community.
Sincerely,
CORINNE TRUE
HORRACE HOLLEY
Baha’i Marriage[edit]
In order to further emphasize and clarify the requisites concerning Bahá’í marriage, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States wishes to call attention to the following excerpts from communications from the World Center, most of which were published in the Canadian Bahá’í News in August 1958.
The first is from a letter from the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land, dated April 25, 1958, and is as follows:
“Our beloved Guardian made it clear that it was the responsibility of the Bahá’í body performing the marriage ceremony to confirm without question the fact that the living natural parents of the two individuals who are being married have given their consent to the marriage. It is preferable that this consent be given in writing, but if this is not possible, or inadvisable for some reason, verbal consent in the presence of witnesses is sufficient.”
In this connection a letter from the beloved Guardian to the Canadian National Assembly through his secretary on June 26, 1956, stated:
“Regarding your question of applying the sanction of suspension of voting rights to people who marry without the consent of parents, this should be done from now on. The laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are explicit and not open to any ambiguity at all. As long as the parents are alive, the consent must be obtained; it is not conditioned on their relationship to their children. If the whereabouts of the parents is not known legally, in other words, if they are legally dead, then it is not necessary for the children to obtain their consent, obviously. It is not a question of the child not knowing the present whereabouts of its parents, it is a question of a legal thing—if the parents are alive, they must be asked.”
Quoting again from the aforementioned letter from the Hands of the Faith: “The Guardian would permit no compromise on the question of non-Bahá’í religious marriage ceremonies in cases where both parties are Bahá’ís. If one of the parties is a non-Bahá’í, there can be two religious ceremonies. . . .
“All believers must have the Bahá’í ceremony, regardless of whether it is legally recognized or not. If the Bahá’í is marrying a non-Bahá’í, there would be a Bahá’í ceremony in all cases, even though the non-Bahá’í also wished to have another ceremony, either civil or religious. . .
“. . .The beloved Guardian stated that in cases where there is more than one ceremony, the Bahá’í service and the other civil or religious ceremony must both be performed on the same day.”
In a letter to Australia through his secretary on June 20, 1954, the Guardian explained that where the Bahá’í is marrying a non-Bahá’í who wishes to have a ceremony of his own religion carried out, it must be quite clear that, first, “the Bahá’í partner is understood to be a Bahá’í by religion, and not to accept the religion of the other party to the marriage by having his or her religious ceremony; and second, the ceremony must be of a nature which does not commit the Bahá’í to any declaration of faith in a religion other than his own.”
In still another letter dated May 7, 1957, the Guardian wrote to Australia through his secretary: “. . .The Bahá’ís must, in view of the conditions of the world today, stand forth firmly and courageously as followers of Bahá’u’lláh, obeying His Laws and seeking to build His World Order. Through compromise we will never be able to establish our Faith or win others’ hearts to it. This involves often great personal sacrifice, but we know that, when we do the right thing, God gives us strength to carry it out, and we attract His blessing. We learn at such times that our calamity is indeed a blessing.”
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
The Queen of Carmel
“Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest; His all-encompassing splendor is revealed. Beware lest thou hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that hath descended tram Heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in adoration the favored of God, the pure in heart, and the company of the most exalted angels. Oh, how I long to announce unto every spot on the surface or the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the glad-tidings of this Tourist Oflfiu
tidings of this Revelation—a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling: ‘Unto God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven.’ Verily this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for revelation‘ Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of Bahá who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.”—Gl. p. 16
Construction of Gallery Walls and Root Nears Completion as Work Progresses on House of Worship in Australia[edit]
IT IS nearly twelve months since the excavation work for the Temple was started. By January 1958 the cement foundation for the outer brick retaining wall had been laid and by March 21st during the Sydney Intercontinental Conference, the foundation walls with a quarter of the Temple floor had been constructed. For some months following this period work was confined to completing the base and to the preparation of forms which were to be used in the building of the walls of the Temple.
The completion of the foundation floor allowed for the next step in the construction program, which was the erection of a central cement pouring tower with its nine sixty-foot supporting columns. These columns with the tower will be further extended as the work progresses. The steel reinforcement for the columns supporting the dome and gallery now began to appear and were quickly joined by the sections of the outer walls which had been prepared on the site. These sections, each comprising a face of the Temple up to the gallery windows, were cast in moulds containing the outer facing of opaque quartz; here white cement was used, as well as a waterproofing material. These sections, about two inches thick and strongly reinforced with heavy timber, are lifted into position by a large travelling crane which serves all parts of the construction. An inner form is then erected and that portion of the wall is poured. The outer surface of the Temple walls is thus finished as the wall is poured and requires only a stiff brushing when the-form is removed to show the quartz aggregate. The repetitive nature of the work enables an unusual degree of economy to be achieved as the materials used in construction can be used progressively from face to face of the Temple.
At this time, November 1958, the nine facings of the lower walls have been erected. It is estimated that the outer gallery walls and gallery roof will be completed by January 1959. Precast frames for archways and doors, gallery windows etc., are being made in the factory—these will be made entirely of white cement and a finer opaque quartz than that used for the walls. Progress has been delayed in part by the need to experiment with unusual features in construction. This is the first time in Australia that such a type of finish has been used extensively on a building. The completion of the gallery roof will actually mark the halfway point of construction and, as the second story and dome will be much less in area, progress is expected to be accelerated. The dome itself originally presented a number of problems which have now been satisfactorily eliminated, and the construction of the dome should not now be difficult or lengthy. The ribs of the dome, made of pre-stressed concrete, will be made on the ground, then when lifted into position Fe will support the scaffolding and forms for the dome sections. It is now intended to make only an inner form and then to blow the cement and fine aggregate on to the forms with a cement gun. An unusual feature of the Temple will be the use of a hollow ring
Mashriqu’l-Adhkar of Africa Rises on Kikaya Hill
From many parts of Kampala it is now possible to see the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár rising on the crest of Kikaya Hill. The contract now being executed is for the main structure, and already the beams of the arches are cast in place, the concrete-block wall immediately above them is built, the first roof is almost complete, and the wall between the two roofs has been started. It is estimated that this contract will be completed within four months, after which the dome will be constructed.
National Endowment of Venezuela, purchased on April
18, 1956. It is located near the village of Guatire in the
state of Miranda, and is 2500 square meters in area.
girder at the base of the dome which will receive
water from the roof and act as a reservoir.
In a building of this type it is possible to use natural ventilation and so avoid costly air-conditioning procedures. Windows can then be fixed and set firmly into the pre-cast frames. The use of the nine pointed star had been approved by Shoghi Effendi and, this will be used in-window grills as well as in some interior ornamentation at the gallery level. The finish of the interior will depend upon the amount of money remaining (the Temple is not to exceed £150,000 Australian) though it is likely that a fine aggregate and colored cement will be applied with a cement gun. An attractive colored stone floor is to be laid and the steps surrounding the Temple are planned to be in green stone and cement. The quartz aggregate is of a high quality and is brought from a newly discovered source nearly 500 miles from the Temple.
An engraved metal plaque will be placed in the center of the Temple floor to mark the site and occasion of the placing of the Holy relics during the Intercontinental Conference.
The large amounts of quartz aggregate needed for the Temple required extensive search for suitable deposits. This involved a search of museum specimens, and aroused much attention. Architectural magazines have carried favorable and interested accounts of the Temple project as well as the ever-expected criticism. Architectural classes from the University have also visited the Temple. The National Spiritual Assembly received a letter of welcome from the local Chamber of Commerce congratulating the Bahá’ís on their choice of a site. Many newspapers have published favourable articles together with a picture of the proposed Temple, which aroused much interest generally throughout the State. As a silent teacher of the Bahá’í Faith, the Temple is now beginning to play its part as daily travellers pass in large numbers: their speculation is giving way to increasing interest as the Temple takes shape before their eyes. Although it has not yet attained half its height, the Temple can be seen above the surrounding trees and is clearly visible from the coast three miles away.
One can but imagine the future grandeur of the Temple dome as it towers majestically above the sur rounding hills, visible far and wide as it reflects the first rays of the rising sun, proclaiming each day the Glory of God. To the traveller approaching by air, sea, or land the first distinguishable landmark will be the Bahá’í House of Worship.
A favorable estimate for the completion of the Temple is for about the middle of 1959.
—AUSTRALIAN BAHÁ’Í BULLETIN
Readings at Nineteen-Day Feasts[edit]
Although the question about what readings are appropriate for the spiritual portion of the Nineteen-Day Feast was answered a number of years ago, it has been asked so frequently in recent months that the National Spiritual Assembly finds it advisable to quote the following excerpt from a letter to a believer from the Guardian through his assistant secretary dated April 27, 1956, published in the Australian Bahá’í Bulletin:
“The Writings of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh can certainly be read any time at any place; likewise the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are read freely during the spiritual part of the Feast. The Guardian has instructed that during the spiritual part of the Feast, his own writings should not be read. In other words, during the spiritual part of the Feast, readings should be confined to the Writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and to a lesser extent, of the Master; but during that part of the Feast the Guardian’s writings should not be read‘ During the period of administrative discussion of the Feast, then the Guardian’s writings may be read. Of course, during the administrative part of the Feast there can be no objection to the reading of the Writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
(The above article, which should have been included in the December issue, was omitted due to space limitations.)
National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Venezuela, located in
Caracas, purchased on August 12, 1958.
Visit to New Zealand by Hand of the Cause from Africa Eagerly Received by 4000 Who Heard His Talks on Faith[edit]
WHEN Enoch Olinga, Hand of the Cause from Africa, a native of Nigeria, made his pilgrimage to Haifa nearly two years ago, the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, gave him a new name, “Father of Victories,” for the contributions he had made in teaching the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Now, along with the efficient and enthusiastic sponsorship of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand, he has added new triumphs to the Cause of God.
On Saturday, October 18, Mr. Olinga arrived from Australia where he had gone following the Intercontinental Conference in Singapore, and was immediately driven to Hamilton, eighty miles way, where a very full program had been arranged among the Maori
Scene at the official reception for Hand of the Cause
Enoch Olinga at Turangawaewae Pa. Dr. Winiata, secretary to the King’s Council, is standing on the platform.
Mr. Olinga is standing on the meme, the space in front
of the meeting house. It was mining, and as the Maoris
stood in the open, he did the same. The Bahá’í party
is at the right.
people. An official welcome was given to Mr. Olinga,
and a party of twenty-five Bahá’ís, at Turangawaewae
Marae, where it was mentioned that he was the first
person from Africa to cross the Marae, although many
famous people had visited this Pa (Maori village), including the Queen of England. A recording of the
Bahá’í Faith in the Maori language was presented by
Mr. Olinga to the Maori ruler, King Koroki, in a tearful, and heart-moving scene. Then, after another journey of thirty-three miles, Mr. Olinga addressed over
200 Maoris at Kihikihi. They came in chartered buses
from many miles around, and along with their four
paramount tribal chiefs who were present, were spellbound at the speaker’: words, and presented him with
gifts.
On October 19 Mr. Olinga visited Rotorua, most famous of Maori areas, where personal contact was made with several people. The next stop for the Bahá’í party, with their honored guest, was a large forestry school in Kaiangaroa where there are two Tongan Bahá’ís, and where an address by Mr. Olinga had been arranged by the Welfare Officer in charge. The audience, completely absorbed by Mr. Olinga’s words, took all of the literature on the Faith that was available. A most thrilling sidelight to this evening was the news that the Welfare Officer had twice visited Shoghi Effendi and the Bahá’í gardens in Haifa, and both he and his wife declared their desire to be Bahá’ís.
A number of schools and colleges were addressed by this honored Hand of the Cause. and several excellent newspaper interviews were published. The final occasion in this area was a well-attended public meeting in Hamilton, attended by a Maori Methodist minister who had been present at Turangawaewae. Altogether Mr. Olinga had addressed almost 3,000 people, other than Bahá’ís.
Talk on Race Amity Enthusiastically Received[edit]
The New Plymouth, New Zealand, area had also made excellent plans for Mr. Olinga’s visit, which included a talk on “Racial Amity and Good Will” at the YWCA to a group of thirty-nine guests of the Bahá’ís, some of them Maoris. Concerning this talk, the New Zealand Bahá’í Newsletter states: “After he had spoken for an hour and a half, discussion was so eager that supper was put back time and again and, at the request of the audience, slides of the Holy Places at Haifa were shown and explained.”
There were many newspaper interviews in New Plymouth, and invitations to appear at schools where the
children were much attracted to Mr. Olinga and clung
to his hands. One headmaster spoke of the visit at the
evening Parents’ Center discussion. There were luncheon meetings, many personal contacts with Maori
friends, and one with the Mayor of New Plymouth, Mr.
Honner, who had officially opened the Bahá’í Summer
School last year on Mt. Egmont, reported in the March
L958 BAHÁ’Í NEWS. The power of Bahá’í love and fellowship was demonstrated in the Maori friends’ insistence[Page 7]
on driving Mr. Olinga to the airport.
Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga and Guide Rangi at Whakarewarewa, Rotorua. He is holding the carved stick to him at Turangawaewae by the Maoris there.
Auckland Activities Include Radio, Magazine Interviews[edit]
Activities in Auckland began with an informal evening gathering where one contact declared her intention to become a Bahá’í. On Friday, October 23, an interview was held at the National Radio Station, after which Mr. Olinga addressed the entire assembly or 750 students at the Teachers Training College, meeting later in a smaller lecture room to answer specific questions; this was followed by a magazine interview. Mr. Olinga’s public lecture in Auckland on “The Unity of Mankind” was also well attended.
In addition to his many public appearances and meetings with interested contacts, accompanied by Auxiliary Board member Hugh Blundell, Mr. Olinga met in various places for special study and discussion with the Bahá’ís alone, and while in Auckland was taken to see the Temple Site. Here there was a pleasant surprise encounter with a gentleman from Uganda, now attached to the Adult Education center in Auckland, and his son, who conversed with Enoch Olinga in his own language.
What It Means to Be a Bahá’í[edit]
The following moving comment on Enoch Olinga’s visit was made by the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand:
“ . . . the National Assembly is at a loss to adequately express . . . its thanks to Bahá’u’lláh for the blessing of the presence of beloved Enoch Olinga in this country. No words can describe the deep joy and spiritual fragrance which he has left, not only with the believers but with all those with whom he came in contact in New Zealand . . . overall about 4,000 persons.
“During the nine days of his visit, the Bahá’ís fortunate enough to have met him have known the true meaning of love, humility, and devotion. They have learned of the power of positive thinking and have enjoyed laughter. But above all this they have seen what it means to be a Bahá’í.
“The National Spiritual Assembly offers its deep appreciation for this bounty and earnestly hopes that through it much work for the Faith will be accomplished. The National Assembly will do all in their power to consolidate the very remarkable work done by Mr. Olinga. This is the only tribute worthy of him.”
In his last message to the Bahá’í World, Shoghi Effendi wrote: “The fourth phase (of the World Crusade), the opening of which is now approaching, must be immortalized, on the one hand, by an unprecedented increase in the number of avowed supporters of the Faith, in all the continents of the globe, of every race, clime, creed, and color, and from every stratum of present-day society . . . must witness . . . an upsurge of enthusiasm and consecration, before which every single as well as collective exploit, associated with any of the three previous phases, will pale.”
In New Zealand has been witnessed such an “upsurge” of enthusiasm, the results or which should inspire and spur on every Bahá’í community to arise and demonstrate to their fellowmen the love of the Manifestation of God in the hearts of those who bear His name, The victories are waiting—they need only the outstretched eager hand, the dedicated heart, and faith.
Mr. Olinga and Guide Rungi at the entrance to the
Whakarewarewa Pa in Rotorua.
Bahá’ís Participate in Many UN Day Observances[edit]
REINFORCEMENT of ties binding the World Bahá’í Community to the United Nations” was considered by our beloved Guardian such an important matter that it was included by him as one of the objectives in our Ten-Year World Crusade.
Each year the Bahá’ís of the United States, and other countries as well, have done much to accomplish this objective, through many vital programs developed for observance of United Nations Day and other special days and events in support of the United Nations. This year was no exception, and some of the highlights reported are given below.
Outstanding in both advance preparation for, and in results obtained, was the public meeting held in Willowick, Ohio, sponsored by them and four other Bahá’í groups (Cleveland Heights, Mayfield Heights, South Euclid, and Euclid, Ohio) attended by 125 persons, thirty-five of whom were guests. Their program was given twenty-two column-inches of newspaper publicity, seven radio spot announcements, nine large posters were placed in stores, and two displays set up in bank windows. When the Bahá’ís went to one bank to dismantle the display after UN Week, the manager expressed regret that it had to be withdrawn because of the attention it had attracted. He asked the Bahá’ís for a photo of the display for reproduction in the bank’s magazine, along with an appropriate article. The report of this meeting expressed deep appreciation for the cooperation of William deForge, Auxilliary Board member, who was their speaker, and concluded with this comment: “Due to Cleveland’s magnificent support of this meeting, the audience was integrated by close to a 50% margin in a strictly white neighborhood.”
Bahá’í exhibit at the United Nations Festival at the
Winthrop hotel in Tacoma, Wash.
Seattle, Wash., reports two successful projects: An
afternoon forum, attended by fifty persons, and 3
dinner and talk on the general theme of the birth of
the Báb and its import on present-day world affairs.
The dinner was attended by twenty-six persons. Programs were mailed to personal friends, newspaper
releases were issued, and publicity items giving the
gist of both programs were furnished to the local
press.
An interesting and enjoyable evening was sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Oklahoma City. They called it “An International Mixer.” This was a social evening devoted to international games, music, fellowship, and a smorgasbord featuring foods that are typical of many parts of the world. A display of artifacts and handicraft objects from around the world was an interesting exhibit to those attending. Ten guests of other faiths were present, among them nationals of Korea, Formosa, and Írán. In addition to the “Mixer,” the friends in Oklahoma City participated in a local United Nations pilot project known as the “World Affairs Program Clinic,” a full day and evening conference. One of the Bahá’ís served as a hostess at the evening session and assisted with the distribution of U.N. literature.
The Webster Groves, Mo., Bahá’ís were particularly busy during UN Week, for they sponsored three important projects: a public meeting, which was attended by forty-eight persons, and at which the speaker was Mrs. Margery McCormick, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly and the Auxiliary Board; a UN dinner for high school students and international visitors, which was attended by twenty persons; and a Children’s UN party to which twenty-three children came, dressed in costumes representing various countries. A delightful film, “The Toymaker,” was shown at the party which, through the use of puppets, demonstrated the “oneness of mankind." This exciting project for children will be a continuing one through this community’s “Friendships, Unlimited” series. The children are already invited to attend the next party in November, and other gatherings will follow at regular intervals. The report also stated: “We made excellent contacts with foreign consuls during our UN Week activities and have arranged for several of them to participate in the Human Rights Day program. Also, we have been asked to participate in an American Tea to be sponsored by the Missouri Interracial Council as a result of our participation in the Greater St. Louis Citizens Committee for UN Week. Two believers living in Clayton, Mo., participated in these activities and in addition, assisted Kansas City, Kans., as speakers at the Kansas City meeting.
Bahá’í United Nations exhibit at the Mile High auditorium in Denver, Colo.
Logan, Utah, in addition to assisting with the citywide celebration of UN Day, held a meeting in the
form of an Open House for international students at
Utah State University. The twenty students attending
represented eleven different countries, and good fellowship and lively discussion filled the evening. The friends report that later they heard that one student from the
Middle East, who did not attend, upon hearing that the
event was sponsored by the local Bahá’í community,
expressed amazement at that fact: he had believed
until then that Bahá’ís were to be found only in Írán
and ‘Iráq.
Bahá’ís of Shorewood, Wis., cooperated with the Milwaukee community in a Panel Discussion meeting.
Persons on the panel included nationals of Austria, India, Ghana, and the U.S. The Bahá’í chairman of the meeting, Corneff Taylor, is a member of the Milwaukee Mayor’s Human Rights Committee. Eighty persons attended the meeting as a result of fine Publicity from newspapers and radio, library exhibit and window displays.
Window display in local bank by the Bahá’ís of Willowick, Ohio, in observance of United Nations Day.
Manhattan Beach, Calif., reported two exciting projects: participation with fifteen other organizations in a
“Family Festival.” Due to last minute changes it was
necessary to rebuild a large, already-completed exhibit, but because of the spirit of the Bahá’ís in dealing
with this emergency, they were recipients of much
favorable comment, according to their report. “This
is one of the few observances where Bahá’ís have an
opportunity to live their Faith in working with non-Bahá’ís,” they state. “For instance, when we had to
rebuild the booths, several people mentioned to some
of us that there had been some amazed discussion
about the ‘marvellous cooperative spirit and friendliness toward others (by the Bahá’ís) in the face of unfair actions on the part of others.’ Some of these people are coming to firesides, but mostly it is a way of letting many people know a little more about the
Faith, and of making friends for the Faith.” Their
other project was a public meeting to which thirty-two persons came, seventeen of them of other faiths.
In Fresno, Calif, two UN Day programs were held:
one, a public meeting at which a professor of political
science from Fresno State College was the speaker;
and the other, a UN Day Dinner, sponsored by the
local Youth Committee. A number of foreign students
were among the twenty-three guests at the dinner. In
addition to these two projects, a Bahá’í was invited to
serve on the Fresno Committee for UN Week, and
the local assembly, in cooperation with that Committee
placed UN posters, and gave 500 UN pamphlets to the[Page 10]
state and city colleges for free distribution. The
Bahá’í public meeting was announced in the bulletins of the Universalist and Unitarian Churches.
Provo, Utah, held a public meeting on which they received seven inches of local newspaper publicity; they placed fifty UN posters around town, and participated in the Utah County UN Committee banquet. They comment, “Assisting city and county groups has brought increased recognition (for Bahá’ís) from civic and educational leaders.”
As far as the Fairbanks and Tanana Valley, Alaska, Bahá’ís can determine, the public meeting held by them was the only UN Day observance in that area. Announcement of their meeting was made on television and radio, as well as through the high school, the University of Alaska, and the Negro Church.
At the meeting in Lima, Ohio, fifty-four persons attended, and it is the plan of this community to follow-up with another public meeting and a meeting in honor of Human Rights Day. Bahá’ís of Findlay, Ohio, cooperated with the International Relations Committee of the B&P Women’s Club in presenting two speakers at a public meeting.
Roswell, N. Mex., sponsored both an International Picnic and a public meeting. Fine newspaper and radio publicity was received in connection with these events.
Tacoma, Wash., worked with seventy-two local organizations in the city-wide UN Day program held at a local hotel. In the ballroom were nineteen booths, one of them the Bahá’í booth. Fifty-nine persons signed the Bahá’í guest book.
The small group of Bahá’ís in Barberton, Ohio, were successful in obtaining excellent newspaper publicity on a display of UN literature at the local library. Free UN literature was also made available at the display. These friends sent sixty-five post cards to friends, and placed advertisements in the newspaper caning attention to the display.
Yonkers, N.Y., held an International Supper and Fireside meeting. They plan to follow-up this meeting with a well-advertised Human Rights Day program. The Long Island, N.Y., Bahá’ís all cooperated in presenting
Site of the future Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds for Nicosia, Cyprus,
donated by Abdu’lmissag Missaghieh of Írán.
A plot of land five acres in area has been
transferred to the name of the Local
Spiritual Assembly of Bomi Hills, Liberia,
and plans have been made to build a road
to the land and for its future development.
The photograph shows the road and part
of the land, a beautiful location.
a Panel Discussion meeting at a centrally located
hotel. Members of the panel represented five nationalities. Fifty-four persons attended, twenty being
interested guests.
Montclair, N.J., was host to twenty persons at an International Dinner. The spirit of friendliness and the tine Bahá’í talk given drew very favorable comment from one guest in particular, a local church leader.
The Providence, R.I., group held a public meeting which was attended by eleven Bahá’ís and eight friends.
The two assemblies and one group, Oakland, Berkeley, and Hayward, Calif., respectively, cooperated with the AAUN in holding a public meeting for an audience of forty-two. After the meeting they were hosts at an International Tea.
Ventura, Calif., reports no city-wide observance of UN Day but that their meeting attracted an audience of twenty-six. They distributed posters, sent cards, made telephone calls to friends, and were successful in securing excellent newspaper and radio publicity. A series of fireside meetings will follow this meeting.
New York City held three meetings to which a total of ninety persons came, among them thirty-six guests. Their meetings represented two International Dinner firesides, and one public meeting. At the meetings films and slides were shown, in addition to the talks given. The report states that “Twelve nationalities were represented among our guests.” And, “our guests were most impressed by slides showing the Bahá’í World Center.”
Many more reports have come in and others are arriving daily; however, because of space limitations it is not possible to cover all of them in a report such as this. It is heartening to note the wide variety of programs held and the ingenuity displayed by the friends in assuring success in the various localities.
—LEE BLACKWELL
The Standard of the New Race
As an approach to the high moral standards to which Bahá’u’lláh as the Inaugurator of the first worldwide spiritual civilization, calls us, let us consider the divine gift of life itself.
A seeker of truth once asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in what state the soul exists before it enters the body. He answered: “In a state of potentiality. it has no consciousness in the sense in which we comprehend this term. Individual consciousness is not born until conception takes place.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked further whether the choice of entering this world lies with the soul itself. He answered: “The Will of God is the determining factor. When God wills it, the soul steps into the arena of human life.”
And asked whether every soul appearing upon earth, is a new creation, He answered: “Yes, every soul has a beginning, but once created, is eternal.”
A new sense of responsibility takes hold of us when we become fully conscious that God, and not our parents, decreed the very second at which we were to set out upon the path to eternity. We begin to feel that there is some connection between the time of our sojourn here and the overall plans of God. We who are Bahá’ís have indeed found this connection. Through the mercy of God, we know clearly what our assignment is; namely, bringing into being a “new race of men”—men worthy of the “Day of God.”
Since Bahá’u’lláh tells us that “the purpose of God in creating man is to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence,” it is obvious that the inner man is our chief consideration, and that the invisible realities—heart, soul, spirit, mind—are more important than the visible. In these intangibles lies our capacity to know God; lie the strength and will, if we choose to apply them, to subordinate our materialistic tendencies and to stimulate our spiritual consciousness—our higher self.
Left: German Bahá’í Youth meeting held at the youth hostel in Heidelberg on October 11-12, to study the Bahá’í teachings in relation to present-day problems. Right: Youth class held three nights a week at Taipei, Taiwan, with the resident pioneers, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Craig.
“As all glory lieth in the soul of man,” says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “there can be little progress connected with a
life of the outer senses, any more than there is life
in the husks of a seed. It is the kernel of a seed which
sprouts, sends forth its shoots, and grows into a
flower, plant, or tree, while the husks but break away,
shrivel, and die; so the individual who lives only in
the world of the senses, lives on the husks of life.”
Today, as though impelled by the law of gravity, men’s moral standards have been pulled to the earth. There are many causes. Obviously, we are on the ebbing side of old civilizations; men are too far away from the Prophet of their respective religions—too far away from the light of His spiritual teachings. War, the greatest generator of animal instincts, has torn down the restraints which decency and personal responsibility normally impose. Material plenty on the one hand, and hunger and poverty on the other, are both prolific sources of moral weakness and often of sex excesses.
There is a reason why Bahá’u’lláh uses the term “purity” so frequently in His Writings. This wholesome word is seldom heard in everyday living, excepting in relation to foods and drugs. But hear this call of Bahá’u’lláh:
“Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous,
be righteous!” “We verily behold your actions. If We
perceive from them the sweet-smelling savor of purity
and holiness, We will most certainly bless you.” And
again: “Purity and chastity have been, and still are,[Page 12]
the most great ornaments for the handmaidens of
God.”
This photograph of the World Religion Day observance
held a year ago at Bahia, Brazil, illustrates one of many
such meetings held throughout the world on January
19, 1958. World Religion Day, to promulgate the Bahá’í
teaching; of the fundamental oneness of religion, will be
observed in 1959 on January 18.
It is not an unfamiliar experience for any of us
today, to find a surprising promiscuity or laxity in
relations between the sexes, even among spiritually-aware people, people who know and cherish the Bahá’í
Teachings, even among friends who have entered our
beloved Cause!
This is most unfortunate, for such a situation ceases to be just the personal responsibility of the individuals involved; rather, a shadow begins to fall upon the entire community, and the sincerity of its teaching efforts is questioned.
With great force and clarity, our beloved Guardian in his message, The Advent of Divine Justice, exhorts us to chastity. “All of them, be they men or women, must, at this threatening hour when the lights of religion are fading out, and its restraints are one by one abolished, pause to examine themselves, scrutinize their conduct, and with characteristic resolution arise to purge the life of their community of every trace of moral laxity that might stain the name, or impair the integrity, of so holy and precious a Faith. A chaste and holy life must be made the controlling principle in the behavior and conduct of all Bahá’ís both in their social relations with the members of their own community, and in their contact with the world at large. It must adorn and reinforce the ceaseless labors and meritorious exertions of those whose enviable position is to propagate the Message, and to administer the affairs, of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. It must be upheld, in all its integrity and implications, in every phase of the life of those who fill the ranks of that Faith, whether in their homes, their travels, their clubs, their societies, their entertainments, their schools, and their universities . . . It must be closely and continually identified with the mission of the Bahá’í Youth.”
“Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily vigilance in the control oi one’s camel desires and corrupt inclinations . . . It requires total abstinence from all alcoholic drinks . . . It condemns . . . the practices . . . of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices.”
“O ye My loved ones!,” pleads Bahá’u’lláh, “suffer not the hem of my sacred vesture to be smirched and mired With the things of this world . . . ” “They that have tarnished the fair name of the Cause of God by following the things of the flesh—these are in palpable error!”
There is just one moral standard, and that is the standard of right and wrong set by the Manisfestation oi God. There is no compromise. Yet, we must show great love and humility in emphasizing this fact.
The new World Religion Day poster, 14x20 inches, in
three primary colors and gold on heavy, high-gloss
paper. There is space at bottom for date and place of
public meeting. Designed by same artist who did Race
Amity Day poster, these are available at 50c each; five
for $2.00, sent third-class postpaid. If first-class or airmail is desired, include postage with your order for following weights: one poster, 3 oz.; 2 posters, 5 oz.;
3 posters, 6 oz.; 5 posters, 9 oz. Please send orders and
checks only to Bahá’í Press Service, 434 Thomas Ave.,
Rochester 17, N.Y.
If someone is pursuing an unwarranted love relationship, we must point out that, from the Bahá’í standpoint, this love is being permitted to take precedence over the love of, and the love for, Bahá’u’lláh. We must stress that by sacrificing our transient desires to His Will—the Will of God—astonishing confirmations await us. We must implant confidence and faith in the power of Bahá’u’lláh to straighten out every type of personal and social problem. Has He not come to bring harmonious living?
The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh gave their lives for us—can we not give up an unjustified personal love in obedience to their sacred Commands?
“When God desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order,” says Bahá’u’lláh, “He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvation.”
As party to the Covenant of God, ours is the obligation to keep these “observances and laws.” Herein lies the order of the world; herein lies our only guidance and protection.
In the words of Bahá’u’lláh: “Wert thou to consider this world, and realize how fleeting are the things that pertain unto it, thou wouldst choose to tread no path except the path of service to the Cause of thy Lord.”
Bahá’í Winter School held at Vietiane, Laos, on November 23-25. There were representatives from four countries present: Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The first Indian woman in Peru to embrace the
Bahá’í Faith is Mrs. Leon Camargo (left foreground), dressed in the traditional native costume, with her baby on her back. Beside her is
her husband, and in the background are Mario
and Gay Rodriguez, the pioneers to Huancayo,
Peru. In that “path of service,” other attributes which
Bahá’u’lláh places “among the highest and most laudable of all acts,” are the following:
1. Trustworthiness: “If any one betray the least of trusts or neglect,” says Bahá’u’lláh, “and be remiss in the performance of duties which are intrusted to him . . . or seeks after his own personal, selfish aims and ends in the attainment of his own interests, he shall undoubtedly remain deprived of the outpourings of His Highness the Almighty!”
2. Truthfulness: This, Bahá’u’lláh calls “the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness, progress and success in all the worlds of God are impossible for any soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired.”
Under “truthfulness” we may also include refraining from the insidious practice of backbiting: “For the tongue is a smoldering tire, and excess of speech a deadly poison,” says Bahá’u’lláh “Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century.”
3. Purity of Heart While Communing with God: When we sincerely seek the Help of God, “this supplication,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asserts, “is in itself a light to the heart, illumination to the sight, life to the soul, and exaltation to one’s being.”
4. Forbearance.
5. Resignation to Whatever the Almighty Hath Decreed.
6. Contentment with the Things His Will Hath Provided: “ . . .. He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá who followeth his mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on things of the earth,” remarks Bahá’u’lláh. “He is my true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause. Such a man is assuredly of Me . . . ”
7. Patience, Nay Thankfulness in the Midst of Tribulation.
8. Complete Reliance, in All Circumstances, upon God.
The moral standards which Bahá’u’lláh seeks to inculcate, in both our individual and social lives, are the loftiest which man has ever been called upon to fufill. All of them are qualities of the mature soul; all are requisite to a spiritual civilization and to eternal life‘ But, a living God has potentially equipped us to attain to this nobility of conduct.
“Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified,” Bahá’u’lláh assures us, “far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these potentialities, that they exercise their influence upon all created things.”
The emergence of a “new race of men” thus becomes inevitable.
—ELSA STEINMETZ
Auxiliary Board Member Visits Argentine Bahá’í Communities[edit]
Sra. Else Cazcarra, member of the Auxiliary Board and of the National Spiritual Assembly of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uraguay, visited the Bahá’í communities of Argentina on a teaching trip from August 19 to September 8, 1958.
In Buenos Aires, her first stop, she attended the Nineteen Day Feast; was interviewed by a representative of one of the leading newspapers, La Razon, resulting in the publication of an article on the principles of the Bahá’í Faith and a photograph of herself; and spoke on “Science and Religion” at a public meeting attended by forty persons.
Other cities visited by Sra. Cazcarra included Ezeiza, Rosario, Cordoba, and La Plata.
Fifth Annual Italo-Swiss Summer School Attended by 95 Bahá’ís and Contacts[edit]
The fifth annual Italo-Swiss Bahá’í Summer School took place from September 19 to 26, 1958, at the Hotel des Salines, Bex-les-Bains, Switzerland.
In spite of the fact that few were expected to attend the school this year, as many friends had used their vacations for the Intercontinental Conferences, there were eighty-three Bahá’ís from ten countries, and twelve guests.
Italo-Swiss Bahá’í Summer School, held at the Hotel des
Salinas, Bex-les-Bains, Switzerland, on September 19-26, 1958.
Second annual Bahá’í Summer School of Nicaragua,
held at Nandaime on September 13-15, 1958.
The school was blessed this year in having two
Hands of the Cause, Dr. Hermann Grossmann and
Dr. Ugo Giachery, who helped greatly in the teaching
by their inspirational courses in German and Italian.
The Italo-Swiss community has a language problem, which was solved by dividing the courses into three schools, French, German, and Italian. In addition a very interesting course was given in English for the bilingual friends on the “Promised Day Has Come” by Firuz Kazemzadeh from New Haven, Conn.
The last days were crowned with joy when four of the contacts declared their Faith and several others said that after more study they, too, wanted to become Bahá’ís.
Maud Bosio, reporting the school sessions, stated: “On the day of departure when all were gathered for suggestions for the next year, it was unanimously agreed that this year was the best school we have had. The spirit of love and unity was deeply felt by us all. It was sad to part, but it is sure that each one of us will bring back to his or her community and work a greater enthusiasm to “carry on” with the remembrance of these days.”
Twenty Attended Second Summer School of Nicaragua, in Nandaime[edit]
The second annual Bahá’í Summer School of Nicaragua was held in its permanent location, Nandaime, Nicaragua. For three days, September 13, 14, and 15, the monotony of this quiet little town was enlivened by laughing groups of young people clustered around the visiting Bahá’í teachers.
The visitors from other countries included Sr. José Antonio Soto Gattgens from San José, Costa Rica; and Mr. and Mrs. Quentin Farrand at Ahuachapan, El Salvador. From within Nicaragua, Managua sent Sr. Armando Fonseca Duval, and Sr. Pablo Pérez Toledo; Masaya was represented by Donald Ross Witzel, and Nandaime itself was proud to present Sr. Juan Castro.
The lectures presented had something for every
taste. Mr. and Mrs. Farrand offered inspiring ideas on
“The Ethics of Bahá’í Life,” “Fulfilment of Bible
Prophecy,” and related themes, some of which were
prepared by Sr, Salomon Escalante of Costa Rica,[Page 15]
were presented by Sr. Soto. A ringing challenge to
Central Americans, as well as a detailed explanation
of the purpose of the annual Convention, were the subjects of the talk given by Sr. Fonseca. Sr. Perez held
the audience’s complete attention with “The Manifestation of God.” The school was opened with “The Life
and Sacrifice of Shoghi Effendi” by Donald Witzel,
and closed with Juan Castro’s dynamic presentation
of “The Twelve Principles.”
The majority of the twenty people who attended the school ate their meals together in Nandaime’s only restaurant. The school was scheduled to last two and one-half days, but the joy of being together delayed leave-taking until the last possible moment at the end of the day. Feelings were put into words by one young man who, the day after the school ended, put his head in his hands and said sadly: “Why did it have to end’! I’ve never been so happy.”
Athlete Speaks on Racial Discrimination at Bahá’í Public Meeting in Stamford[edit]
Jackie Robinson, the professional baseball player, was guest speaker at a public meeting sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Stamford, Conn., on November 3, 1958.
He spoke to a group of forty on the problem of racial discrimination in the United States and in other parts of the world, on the ideals and goals of the NAACP, and of the vital importance of evaluating each individual as an individual, whatever his race, color, or creed.
Mr. Robinson, in addition to his achievements in the athletic world (he was the first Negro to play on a major league baseball team in the United States), has long been active in the fields of the humanities and social science. He was recently honored by the National Young Men’s Christian Association as “Man of the Year.”
Part of the public meeting was given over to questions and answers, which were lively and informative.
Second Japan Summer School Classes Include Study and Workshop Sessions[edit]
The second Japan Bahá’í Summer School was held at Gohra, on August 29-31, 1958.
Among the talks given were the following: “Fulfilling the Need for Bahá’í Education,” by N. Hashimoto; “The Guardian and the Institutions of the Faith,” by Miss Agnes Alexander, Hand of the Cause; “The Bahá’í Concept of God,” and “The Meaning of the Manifestation,” by H4 Takano and Philip Marangella; “What is Prayer?” by Miss Alexander and M. Zenimoto, and “Immortality,” by Mrs. Joy Earl.
The study and workshop sessions were devoted to: the practice of public speaking, led by H. Takano and Dr. Mizuno; methods of presenting the Faith, led by Dr. David Earl and M. Odani; and questions and answers, conducted by Rohollah Momtazi, Mr. Ishii and Dr. David Earl.
Mrs. Shirin Fozdar of Singapore, chairman of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of Southeast Asia, was the speaker at the public meeting arranged by the school on August 30.
First Bahá’í Burial Ground Obtained in Khartoum, Sudan[edit]
When the wife of the caretaker of the Bahá’í cemetery in Cairo fell ill and passed away while on a visit to Khartoum, the Bahá’ís there were faced with the critical need for a Bahá’í burial ground. After ten hours of negotiation with the government authorities, the Khartoum North Local Spiritual Assembly was successful in obtaining a plot of land, and the funeral was performed in accordance with Bahá’í principles.
Bahá’ís in many areas of the world who are not faced with such a problem cannot, perhaps, fully appreciate the reasons that lay behind such a difficulty, but they can share and sympathize with their friends’ anxiety at such a time, and lend their prayers that the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh may speedily triumph and bring union, concord, and elimination of all prejudice —not only for the living, but for those who have passed on.
Second Japan Bahá’í Summer School, new at Gohra on
August 29-31, 1958.
Bahá’í Holy Days Recognized By Butte and Champaign Schools[edit]
The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Butte, Mont., has received a letter dated October 21, 1958, from the Superintendent of Schools stating that Bahá’í students may have excused absence from school on the Bahá’í Holy Days.
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Champaign, Ill., reports that permission has been given by the Superintendent of the Champaign community schools for children of Bahá’í parents to be excused from school attendance on Bahá’í Holy Days.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
New Orleans, La., School Board Recognizes Bahá’í Holy Days[edit]
The Orleans Parish School Board in New Orleans, La., has given recognition to the Bahá’í Faith by permitting Bahá’í children to remain away from classes on Bahá’í Holy Days when such permission is requested in writing by the parents.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Minister lauds Bahá’í Faith from Pulpit[edit]
On November 9 Rev. Keith M. Rhinehart, pastor of the Aquarian Foundation Church in Seattle, wash, spoke to his congregation of 175 people on “The Beauties of Bahá’í,” giving an hour’s historic outline of the Faith, descri mg the Temple, and telling about his visit to the Shrine of the Báb and the Gardens in Haifa. Although there were many inaccuracies in his statements, it was evident to the Bahá’ís in the audience that he himself has been impressed by the Faith and that his discussion of it made a great spiritual impact upon his congregation.
Researcher Interviews Charlottesville Bahá’ís[edit]
A member of the social research team of Columbia University recently interviewed the Charlottesville, Va., Bahá’í group on the racial question and the segregation problem in the local schools. The Sociology Dean of the University had recommended that this be the first interview in Charlottesville on the attitudes of the white people. Bahá’ís stressed their belief that the Faith could overcome racial discrimination, and the researcher seemed pleased with the results of her interview.
Clark County School District, Nevada, Recognizes Bahá’í Holy Days[edit]
On August 28, 1958, the Superintendent of Schools for Clark County, Nev., issued a memorandum to all school principals and administrators in the county listing five Jewish Holy Days and the five Bahá’í Holy Days falling within the school year “for which parent excuses should be accepted for children.”
Besides Las Vegas, where there is a local spiritual assembly, the area includes the larger cities of Henderson and Boulder and a number of small towns.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Alaska “News” Appears as Printed Magazine[edit]
The Alaska Bahá’í News is now published as a printed magazine, beginning with the Ncvember-December 1958 issue. It was formerly published in mimeographed form.
Mrs. Janet Stout, managing editor, has announced plans to publish ten issues during the next twelvemonth period. Photographs of Alaskan events can now be reproduced in the magazine.
Calendar of Events[edit]
FEASTS[edit]
January 19—Sulṭán (Sovereignty)
February 7—Mulk (Dominion)
WORLD RELIGION DAY[edit]
January 18—To proclaim the fundamental oneness of religion
U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS[edit]
January 1-4
February 13-15
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
Visiting Hours[edit]
Weekdays
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
Sundays and Holidays
10:30 am. to 5:00 p.m. (Entire building)
Service of Worship[edit]
Sundays
3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
BAHÁ’Í 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 State: as well as from national assemblies of other lands. Material is due in Wilmette on the hut day of the month preceding the date of issue for which it is intended.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee. The Committee for 1958-59: Mrs. Eunice Braun, Miss Charlotte Linfoot, Richard C. Thomas.
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A
