Bahá’í News/Issue 341/Text
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| No. 341 | BAHA’I YEAR 116 | JULY, 1959 |
“Grateful Remarkable Response to Ridvan Message”
(Cable from the Hands of the Faith Residing in the Holy Land)
Grateful remarkable response believers appeal Riḍván Message (for) second army (of) pioneers new impetus teaching activity homefronts.
Strong evidence Bahá’u’lláh’s invincible hosts gathering forces preparation conquest remaining goals beloved Guardian’s crusade.
Persian American deputization plan receiving enthusiastic response long-suffering, dedicated, self-sacing friends cradle Faith whose initial pledge will assist many pioneers proceed posts vital goal areas Europe, Latin America.
Encouraging news received World Center impels us share following high lights continuous progress global crusade. Over three score new local assemblies formed Persian homefront, surpassing all previous records. In Central East African territories alone over twenty-three hundred new believers enrolled past year, total now nearly sixty-five hundred. Seventy-seven new local assemblies formed Kenya, Tanganikya, Uganda; total entire area now exceeds two hundred fifty (assemblies). In Indonesia number centers increased from thirty to one hundred fifty, in brief span one year. In Java alone ninety-seven centers now established, compared only eight (a) year ago; number adherents Faith that country now over nine hundred, representing nine-fold increase past year.
Call upon believers east (and) west arise, shoulder God-given responsibilities support present plans for successful completion precious unique history-making crusade being undertaken (by) thirty-one national (and) regional assemblies created by beloved Guardian. Confident total victory within reach if all hearts turn (to) Bahá’u’lláh supplicating His unfailing assistance united, whole-hearted, dedicated effort fulfil present phase ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Plan. Share message Hands (and) national assemblies.
(signed) HANDSFAITH
Cablegrarn June 8, 1959
Beloved Bahá’í Friends:
This message addressed to the entire Bahá’í world through the Hands of the Faith and the national assemblies will quicken the heart of every believer.
What could be more encouraging than these words from the World Center of our glorious Faith? “Strong evidence Bahá’u’lláh’s invincible hosts gathering forces preparation conquest remaining goals beloved Guardian’s crusade” . . . “confident total victory within reach if all hearts turn (to) Bahá’u’lláh . . . ”
Adding the achievements reported in this cablegram to those enumerated in the Hand's Convention Message, we have not merely a statistical balance but the assurance of a new spiritual condition fulfilling the age-old hope for the redemption of the human race.
That condition begins with the formation of the Universal House of Justice, through which Divine law and order can be delivered to all races and peoples. In that body we will behold the consummation of the sacrifice of all the Prophets and Messengers since history began. It signifies a continuous expression of the Will of God in the guidance of the affairs of mankind.
What more noble privilege was ever proffered human beings than this provion added by the Hands; “if all hearts turn (to) Bahá’u’lláh supplicating His unfailing assistance . . . ”
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
The Meaning of Faithfulness
IN THESE crucial years of the World Crusade when we are immersed in the vital tasks which prepare the way of the formation of the Universal House of Justice, we must beware lest the immensity of the efforts blind us to the true nature of our Faith.
It is well to recall how many years the beloved Guardian devoted to an exposition of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and the significance of the Bahá’í community before he launched the first great collective undertaking, the Seven-Year Plan.
The Guardian’s successive letters from October 1927 to July 1932, collected and published under the title Bahá’í Administration, raised up those landmarks by which a believer who had been Jew, Moslem, or Christian became a Bahá’í, qualified to serve the universal purposes of Bahá’u’lláh.
The generation of believers, who first followed these landmarks and constructed highways from the religious experiences of the past to that of the day of God, are passing away. It is no longer necessary to plead for the recognition of the local spiritual assembly and its committees, or the National Spiritual Assembly and the national committees it appoints from year to year. Nevertheless, even those believers who enter the Bahá’í community at the present time, while they are no longer pioneers who first trace a path and then build a highway, are actually compelled to achieve inwardly what their predecessors had to achieve in terms of a new concept of a religious society.
There is a world of difference between the new Bahá’í who accepts the institutions on the basis of how they happen to be administered when he enters the Cause, and the new Bahá’í who has traced the emergence of the institutions through the literature and can accordingly evaluate them in terms of the creative purpose rather than their temporary practice.
Since the formative passages of those letters of Shoghi Effendi are no longer brought to our attention in successive issues of BAHÁ’Í NEWS, it would be well to assemble at least a certain number of more significant passages in the hope that many individual believers will study them conscientiously and thus develop, beyond a mere passive acceptance, to the degree of inner understanding.
The following selections are all taken from Bahá’í Administration, sixth edition, published in 1953.
“According to the direct and sacred command of God we are forbidden to utter slander, are commanded to show forth peace and amity, are exhorted to rectitude of conduct, straight forwardness and harmony with all the kindreds and peoples of the world. We must obey and be the well-wishers of the governments of the land, regard disloyalty unto a just king as disloyalty to God Himself, and wishing evil to the government a transgression of the Cause of God.” (p. 4)
“O ye beloved of the Lord! In this sacred Dispensation, conflict and contention are in no wise permitted. Every aggressor deprives himself of God’s grace. It is incumbent upon everyone to show the utmost love, rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and sincere kindliness unto all the peoples and kindreds of the world, be they friends or strangers. So intense must be the spirit of love and loving-kindness, that the stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother, no difference whatsoever existing between them. For universality is of God, and all limitations earthly. Thus man must strive that his reality may manifest virtues and perfections, the light whereof may shine upon everyone.” (p. 9)
“Furthermore, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reveals the following: ‘It is incumbent upon everyone not to take any step without consulting the Spiritual Assembly, and they must assuredly obey with heart and soul its bidding and be submissive unto it, that things may be properly ordered and well arranged. Otherwise every person will act independently and after his own judgment, will follow his own desire, and do harm to the Cause.
“ ‘The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of motive, radiance of spirit. detachment from all else save God, attraction to His Divine Fragrances, humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties, and servitude to His exalted Threshold. Should they be graciously aided to acquire these attributes, victory from the unseen Kingdom of Bahá shall be vouchsafed to them. In this day, assemblies of consultation are of the greatest importance and a vital necessity. Obedience unto them is essential and obligatory.’ ” (p.21)
“Large issues in such spiritual activities that affect the Cause in general in that land, such as . . . any periodical which the National Body may decide to be a Bahá’í organ, the matter of publication, of reprinting Bahá’í literature and its distribution among the various assemblies, the means whereby the teaching campaign may be stimulated and maintained, the work of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, the racial question in relation to the Cause, the matter of receiving Orientals and association with them, the care and maintenance of the precious film exhibiting a phase of the Master’s sojourn in the United States of America . . . and various other national spiritual activities, far from being under the exclusive jurisdiction of any local assembly or group of friends, must each be minutely and fully directed by a special board, elected by the National Assembly, constituted as a committee thereof, responsible to it and upon which the National Body shall exercise constant and general supervision.” (p. 24)
“In order to avoid division and disruption, that the Cause may not fall a prey to conflicting interpretations and lose thereby its purity and pristine vigor, that its affairs may be conducted with efficiency and promptness. it is necessary that every one should conscientiously take an active part in the election of these assemblies, abide by their decision, enforce their decree, and cooperate with them wholeheartedly in their task of stimulating the growth of the Movement throughout all regions. Members of these assemblies, on their part, must disregard utterly their own likes and dislikes, their personal interests and inclinations, and concentrate their minds upon those measures that will conduce to the welfare and happiness of the Bahá’í Community and promote the common weal.” (p. 41)
“And as to the world’s evil plight we need but recall the writings and sayings of Bahá’u’lláh, who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set forth their true and divine remedy. ‘Should the Lamp of Religion be hidden,’ He declares, ‘Chaos and confusion will ensue.’ How admirably fitting and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind.
“Ours then is the duty and privilege to labor, by day and night, amidst the storm and stress of these troublous days, that we may quicken the zeal of our fellow-men, rekindle their hopes, stimulate their interest, open their eyes to the true Faith of God, and enlist their active support in the carrying out of our common task for the peace and regeneration of the world.” (p. 51)
“Let us pray to God that in these days of world-encircling gloom, when the dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy, and reaction are threatening the very stability of human society, when the most precious fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparallelled tests, we may all realize, more pro-foundly than ever, that though but a mere handful amidst the seething masses of the world, we are in this day the chosen instruments of God’: grace, that our mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity, and, fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve God’s holy purpose for mankind.” (p. 52)
“And as we make an effort to demonstrate that love to the world. may we also clear our minds of any lingering trace of unhappy misunderstandings that might obscure our clear conception of the exact purpose and methods of this new world order, so challenging and complex. yet so consummate and wise. We are called upon by our beloved Master in His Will and Testament not only to adopt it unreservedly, but to unveil its merit to all the world. To attempt to estimate its run value, and grasp its exact significance after so short a time since its inception would be premature and presumptuous on our part. We must trust to time, and the guidance of God’s Universal House of Justice, to obtain a clearer and fuller understanding of its provisions and implications.” (p. 62)
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Panorama of the Bahá’í Temple site at Lnngehhum, hear Frankfurt/Main, Germany, with a photograph of the
Temple model superimposed to illustrate its position on the land.
Grant Permission to Build Temple at Frankfurt After Six-Year Struggle[edit]
During the past Bahá’í year, it seemed at times practically impossible to obtain permission for the Mother Temple of Europe, to be built at Frankfurt/ Main.
In May the Landrat (district president) informed the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria that permission for the Temple would only be given if the Bahá’ís would build four roads leading to Langenhain (this is the very spot near Frankfurt where the Bahá’í Temple is to be erected), a main purification plant and an enlargement of the water supply system for Langenhain. Fortunately the National Assembly was able to avert this decision.
After waiting for the permission for half a year, the National Spiritual Assembly received, in early December, the decision of the county council, which stated that the Bahá’í: were not allowed to build the Temple in this district because in this area there had never before been erected any building of this kind! After this the National Assembly, as well as the mayor of Langenhain, separately lodged a complaint with the Regierungs-präsident in Wiesbaden, and again all possible steps had been taken to further the project.
On March 25 the Regierungspräsident in Wiesbaden informed the National Assembly that the preliminary building application had been returned to the county council for revision, as the contested resolution of early December 1958 could not be maintained on the basis of the explanations given. The county council had been requested to decide again without delay.
On March 31 the National Assembly heard that the project would be decided upon again on April 2 in the meeting of the county council. on April 5 the National Assembly received word that the next day they could pick up the price and settlement permission at the office of the county council.
Finally the Bahá’ís had the papers in hand, and the National Assembly cabled to the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land about the great achievement. Again on the same day the county council sent a letter that they had cancelled the negative decision of early December, and that the detailed building application could now be submitted to the Regierungspräsident in Wiesbaden. The believers were extremely relieved that, with the help of Bahá’u’lláh, they were enabled to fulfill the desire of the beloved Guardian to have the Mother Temple of Europe built near Frankfurt/Main.
Bahá’ís From Nine Countries Meet at Suva Convention; First National Assembly of Pacific Islands Elected[edit]
Seven of the nine members of the first Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the South Pacific. Front Row: Dulcie Dive, Gertrude Blum, and Irene Jackson. Back Row: Stephen Percival, Lisiate Maka, Alvin Blum and Walli Khan. Absent are Mabel Sneider and Suhayl ‘Alá’í.
ON THURSDAY morning April 23, in the sun drenched city of Suva, Fiji Islands, the first Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of the South Pacific was opened by the US National Spiritual Assembly representative, Mrs. Margery McCormick. A total of sixty believers were present, including revered Hand of of the Cause Collis Featherstone, five Auxiliary Board members, five Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, nine delegates, and visitors from the following countries and island groups: United States, Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Samoa.
The first session opened with devotions in English, Fijian, Hindustani, and Tongan. The incomparable words of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, expressed in so many different tongues, constituted a tremendous spiritual experience, welding the assembled believers together with bonds of fellowship and love. At this moment, as at other times during the convention, consciousness of the privilege of being a Bahá’í and the honor of witnessing so striking an evidence of the power of this Faith to engender love and unity walled up within the heart, bringing a deep sense of longing to the soul.
in her opening address Mrs. McCormick conveyed the love and best wishes OI the U.S. Bahá’ís for a sucessful convention, and expressed the regret of all U.S. National Assembly members at their not being able to be present to share with the assembled believers the job of achieving this World Crusade goal.
The roll call showed nine delegates to be present, from Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga; with deep regret the Convention recorded the absence, due to transport difficulties, of the ten Gilbert and Ellice Islands delegates.
The convention proceeded to the election of Walli Khan as convention chairman and Mrs. Dulcie Dive as convention secretary. During the counting of votes, Mrs. McCormick read a letter of greeting from the U.S. Asia Teaching Committee. This inspiring letter reviewed the stupendous achievements of the last seventy months, pointing out how these victories provide yet another evidence of the power of the Hosts of the Supreme Concourse.
Message from Hands of Faith Read[edit]
High mark of the convention was the reception of the stirring message from the Hands of the Cause in Haifa. In this message, which was read by Mr. Feather-stone, the Hands of the Cause enumerated the successive achievements, dating from the revelation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, which have led up to the formation of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the South Pacific. The formation of a supplementary Four-Year Plan was suggested, in order to consolidate and extend the historic work already achieved. The Hands stated: “You are now launching the barque of your own independent existence . . . Your destiny is . . . in your own hands, the hands of the people of these islands who have become Bahá’ís, and who are the electors of this historic Regional South Pacific Assembly.” The complete message follows this report.
Discussing the convention message, Mr. Featherstone called on the believers to arise and teach during this unique period in the history of the Faith. “Each Bahá’í in the Pacific is a foundation Stone,” Mr. Featherstone said. “Upon your efforts the Kingdom of God in the Pacific will be reared.”
“Not only have we become members of the world religion, not only have we arisen to teach the Faith, but also we have assumed the obligation of establishing the Kingdom of God on Earth, with its attendant world civilization.” Mr. Featherstone concluded his moving address by appealing to every believer not to deviate one hairsbreadth from obedience to God's Plan for this age.
Following reception of the convention message, this cable was sent to the Hands of the Cause in Haifa:
“EIGHT COUNTRIES ONE HAND FIVE AUXILIARY BOARD MEMBERS FIVE KNIGHTS OF BAHA'U'LLAH NINE DELEGATES TOTAL SIXTY BELIEVERS ASSEMELED CONVENTION SEND LOVING GREETINGS STOP DEEPLY GRATEFUL IN[Page 5]
SPIRING ENCOURAGING MESSAGE GIFT ASSURE
DEVOTION FULFILMENT GOALS BELOVED
GUARDIANS PLAN”
Messages were also sent to the three island groups which did not have members of their community present at the Convention: Gilbert and Ellice Islands, New Caledonia, and New Hebrides.
Progress of the World Crusade[edit]
Mrs. Madge Featherstone, assistant secretary of the Australian Asian Teaching Committee, spoke next on “The World Crusade and its Goals in the South Pacific.” She summarized clearly and concisely the progress which has taken place since 1953 in each of the island groups of the South Pacific. Six local assemblies have been established, and the one assembly existing in 1953 has been consolidated; in addition, Bahá’ís re side in a further thirty-four localities situated in all the island groups specified for the Crusade, except the Loyalty Islands. Of the fourteen language translations specified as Crusade goals, thirteen have been achieved, together with an additional twelve translations. In Suva, the goals of purchase of a building to serve as a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and of a Bahá’í endowment have both been attained. In addition, a Bahá’í school has been constructed in Port Vila, New Hebrides, and a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Apia, Samoa. Mrs. Featherstone concluded her address by appealing to the believers, one and all, to arise as never before to serve the Cause.
Building upon Mrs. Featherstone’s address, convention delegates spoke on various aspects of the teaching work in their localities which might well have application in other South Pacific areas. This included discussion of children’s classes and of deepening classes for new believers.
Celebration of Riḍván[edit]
Thursday night the friends gathered for the Riḍván Feast. Prayers and selections from the Holy Writings were read in English, Samoan, Rarotongan, M’wala, and Tongan. Mrs. Elsa Blakely of Tonga spoke on “The Story of Riḍván,” describing Bahá’u’lláh’s banishment to Baghdad and the events which occurred there prior to His Declaration. She pointed out how great was Bahá’u’lláh’s outpouring of Revelation during this period when He lived in conditions of extreme poverty. As Mrs. Blakely spoke of the Garden of Riḍván and of the Declaration which has immortalized it, we felt almost overwhelmed by an awareness of the great spiritual forces released into the world at the coming of the Lord of Hosts.
Next, Tanuvasa Seniola of Samoa addressed the gathering on “The Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh.” Were any proof needed of the great spiritual capacity of the Pacific Islanders, this address would suffice. Speaking with deep sincerity he said, in part: “Were we to spend all our lives in meditation, the mystery of Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration would yet remain unravelled. . . . This is the Day for which countless generations through the ages prayed, the Day of the Manifestation of Bahá’u’lláh, the King of Days.” Mr. Tanuvasa concluded by referring to the Bahá’í Revelation in these words: “Bahá’u’lláh has given this most precious gift to us. It is ours to share with others. It is a living fountain to give to the people of the world who are so thirsty.”
Accomplisliing Remaining Goals[edit]
Friday morning, the second day of the convention, opened with devotions in English and Rarotongan Maori.
A message of loving greetings was sent by the convention to the USA Convention, expressing deep appreciation at the assistance given by the American Bahá’ís during the last six years, and by the U.S. National Assembly representative Mrs. McCormick during the convention.
First Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of the South Pacific, held at Suva, Fiji Islands, on April 23 to 25, 1959. Mrs. Margery McCormick, the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly representative, is seated in from of the portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; to her left is H. Collis Featherstone, Hand of the Cause of Australia.
The morning session was devoted to consultation on[Page 6]
how to accomplish the remaining Crusade goals in the
South Pacific and on the best teaching methods for the
people of this region. The delegates from each island
group spoke briefly on the religious background of
their people, on their teaching methods, and on possible aid which the Regional Assembly might give.
Delegates all praised the Visual aids shown to the convention by Mrs. McCormick, and recommended that the Regional Assembly should distribute similar material to all island groups; it was felt that this material, is particularly suitable for teaching in this area.
The necessity for use of the administrative machinery to coordinate teaching activities was stressed. Bahá’ís should teach the Faith from its relationship to Christianity and the teachings of the Bible. Problems associated with the translation of literature and methods of deepening new believers were also discussed. Visitors from Australasia and the United States felt particularly humble at hearing the delegates quite matter-of-factly refer to up to four fireside: and deepening classes being held in each local community each week.
Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Alvin Blum, who had travelled 4,000 miles to be present, said, upon invitation by the convention: “The power and the spirit of the Faith together constitute its greatest teaching medium. Where ever one Bahá’í exists, and the appropriate conditions are satisfied, a whole community will spring up around him. The Founders of the Faith have released great spiritual power; it is our duty to use it.”
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Blum, pioneers to the Solomon Islands, with two Solomon Island delegates.
Delegates in attendance at the First Convention of the Bahá’ís of the South Pacific.
Bahá’ís from the Fiji Islands, with Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone and Mrs. Margery McCormick, U.S. National Assembly representative.
Election of National Spiritual Assembly[edit]
Friday afternoon delegates gathered for the election of the Regional Spiritual Assembly. Before the election, three short talks were given on the Institution of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone spoke on “The Spiritual Foundation of the National Assembly,” pointing out the uniqueness of this Revelation in all religious history in that it contains two distinct interrelated sections: the spiritual teachings and the administrative order.
Peter Khan, a member of the Australian National Assembly, spoke on “The Functions and Responsibilities of the National Assembly.” He enumerated the various functions of the National Assembly under seven headings, and spoke briefly on its responsibilities as representative of the national community.
Mrs. Margery McCormick spoke on “The Bahá’í Fund,” pointing out that it is one of the great institutions of the Faith, specified by Bahá’u’lláh. “We must all contribute according to our means,” said Mrs. McCormick, “It is the sacrifice that goes behind the giving that counts, not the amount given.”
After prayers had been offered for guidance, the election of the Regional Spiritual Assembly was held in an atmosphere of silent reverence. As the name of each island group was called, and its delegates came forward to put their votes in the ballot box, our thoughts turned to rememberance of the effort and sacrifice which had been the lot of those valiant and devoted servants of the Abhá Beauty who had translated this moment from the realm of dreaming and longing into that of reality.
The results of the election of members of the Re[Page 7]
gional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the South
Pacific, and the officers elected by the Assembly are:
Chairman, Alvin Blum; Vice-Chairman, Walli Khan:
secretary, Irene Jackson; Treasurer, Dulcie Dive; and
Suhayl ‘Alá’í, Stephen Percival, Lisiata Maka, Mabel
Sneider, and Gertrude Blum. The Assembly includes
members born in the United States, Australia, New
Zealand, Persia, Tonga, and Fiji, and coming from
backgrounds rooted in the Jewish, Christian, and Moslem Faiths.
Following the election, gifts were presented to the new assembly from administrative bodies, communities, and individuals all over the world. These gifts included a donation or $1000.00 as an inaugural gift to the National Fund from the Hands of the Faith, in the name of the beloved Guardian, Messages of greeting were received from the sister national assemblies of the world.
Late Friday afternoon a public meeting was held in Suva Town Hall, with an attendance of about 140. The meeting, chaired by Walli Khan, was addressed by Mr. Featherstone and Mrs. McCormick. The speakers were welcomed by Dr. Gopalan, a member of Suva City council, who referred to the harmonious mixing of races in the Bahá’í communities as being evidence that Bahá’ís put their teachings of the oneness of mankind into practice.
Mr. Featherstone, speaking on the subject “What is the Bahá’í World Faith?,” discussed the political, racial, and economic divisions which, in this troubled world, have set man against his brother. He showed that true religion, far from adding to the divisions of mankind, is the ideal solvent for the barriers dividing humanity. The Bahá’í teachings on the oneness of religions and the unity of mankind were then explained’ Mr. Featherstone concluded his stirring address by stating that the coming of the Bahá’í Faith will bring about the unity of mankind and the birth of world civilization.
Mrs. McCormick, whose talk was entitled “Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet for this New Age,” vividly described the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Bahá’í Revelation in the Síyáh-Chál, and the historical details of the Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh. She explained the station ot Bahá’u’lláh as the Promised One. leading on to show that a person entering the Bahá’í Faith fulfils rather than repudiates his former Faith.
Following these two speakers, Peter Khan addressed the meeting, at the request of a member at the audience, on the relationship of the Bahá’í Faith to Islám, and on the necessity in the present age for unprejudiced search after truth.
Mrs. Dulcie Dive, pioneer to the Cook Islands, with two Cook Islanders.
Pioneer Mrs. Lilian ‘Alá’í with delegates and visitors from Samoa.
Mrs. Judy Blakely and Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Bolton, pioneers to Tonga, with Tongan delegates and visitors.
Concluding Events[edit]
Friday night over sixty believers attended a dinner given by Mrs. Margery McCormick at the Grand Pacific Hotel. Representatives of many races, some of whom had travelled thousands of miles to be present, gathered around one table and broke bread together in a universal and age-old expression of brotherhood.
On Saturday the entire day was devoted to consultation directed towards the subjects of teaching needs,
teacher training, itinerant teachers, and Bahá’í schools,
using the convention Message from the Hands of the
Cause as a guide. The newly-elected Regional Assem[Page 8]
bly, which had met until far into the previous night,
presented ten lines of activity which it felt should form
the basis for the supplementary Four-Year Plan suggested by the Hands. These ten points were discussed
in detail by the delegates. The use of prayer as a
necessary part of any teaching activity was stressed.
Bearing in’ mind the fact that Islanders are more willing to listen to a visitor than to a member from
their own locality, the convention recommended the
exchange of travelling teachers between island groups.
In this session, as the convention drew to a close, the strength and vigor of the South Pacific community were seen reflected in the earnestness and creativity of the consultation, and in the love and harmony which bathed the entire gathering.
As the convention concluded, revered Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone, whose presence was one of the special blessings given the convention, gave this last touching message: “This has been a wonderful, historic occasion. Future historians will regard these meetings as marking the turning point in the affairs of the South Pacific and as infusing new spirit into the area.
“We who come into this world have but a very short time in which to serve our Creator. Being given the privilege and the bounty of accepting the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, We know that, while the physical body returns to dust, the spiritual being goes on to a glorious world in which it retains memory of its previous deeds on this plane. Let us arise and ensure that when we attain to the next world, we will not feel remorse at not having rendered greater service to our Beloved.”
The convention has now concluded. Delegates and visitors have travelled thousands of miles to return to their homes. Although it may not be externally apparent, each one has been transformed. Each believer attending this Convention has carried back with him the memory of a gathering of many races upon which Bahá’u’lláh shed light and warmth. This memory is as a precious jewel of unfading luster, which will be a constant source of inspiration during the years of service which lie ahead.
—PETER J. KHAN
Message from the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land To the First Convention of the South Pacific Islands
On the occasion of the historic formation of the South Pacific Regional National Spiritual Assembly, the hearts of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh are uplifted in thanksgiving for this great victory which testifies to the progress of His world-encompassing Faith and to the powers He has released in this age, which will inevitably enable mankind to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth foretold by the Prophets of God in past dispensations.
This latest achievement in the promulgation of the Divine Plan revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself, and set in motion by our beloved Guardian through successive detailed plans, cannot but release untold blessings in that area of the world so dear to his heart, and which absorbed so much of his attention during the last years of his life.
In the darkest period of the First World War, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called upon the members of the North American Bahá’í Community, in his Tablets of the Divine Plan, to “travel through the three great island groups of the Pacific Ocean, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia—and with hearts overflowing with the love of God—deliver the Glad-Tidings of the Manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to all the people.” The first results of His ringing appeal were witnessed in the opening of Australia and New Zealand to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, the carrying of His Message to the Society Islands, and the formation of a strong community in Hawaii, thus establishing a bridge of centers stretching from San Francisco to Sydney, and paving the way for the tremendous victories which have been won in this area under the direct guidance of the beloved Guardian during the first six years of his Ten-Year globe-encircling Plan. With the inception of this World Crusade in 1953 and the allocation amongst the National Spiritual Assemblies of America, Canada, Persia, and Australia of the major islands and island groups of the Pacific, the teaching work began to stride forward at a formidable pace. Pioneers from the older communities poured into the Pacific region, and it is primarily due to the dedication, perseverance, self-sacrifice, and initiative of these consecrated souls that this first Convention is being held just one year after the passing of the midway point of the Crusade. Great as is this fruition of their labors, we must not forget for a moment that the greatest achievement we are witnessing on this happy occasion is the fact that the delegates chosen to elect this first Regional Pacific Bahá’í Assembly are representative of the peoples of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia who have become afire with the love of Bahá’u’lláh. embraced His Faith, and risen to establish it in their home islands. This is the glorious victory of our beloved Shoghi Effendi, the realization of his hopes, the consummation of his plan for this part of the world.
The extraordinary progress made throughout the Pacific region is evident to all, and must be a great
source of pride and joy to those gathered together during these blessed Riḍván days to hold their first Annual Convention. Let us recall some of the milestones that
have led up to this crowning event: Your National
Headquarters, the seat of your Assembly, has been
purchased according to the beloved Guardian’s own
Plan, and your national Bahá’í endowment, registered
in the name of the Suva Assembly and likewise situated in Fiji, has been acquired as one of the goals of
that same Plan; the rapid spread of the Faith in the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands, which led to the establishment of the first Bahá’í School in the entire Pacific
area, on land Contributed by one of the Gilbert Islanders and built through the efforts of the Bahá’ís themselves; the founding of the second Bahá’í school in this[Page 9]
region, which has recently completed its new building on its own land, in the New Hebrides: the construction in Samoa of the first local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of the South Pacific and the holding there of a Bahá’í Summer School; the large and rapidly increasing number of spiritual assemblies, groups, and isolated centers which have been established in such widely-scattered areas as Tonga, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Samoa, the Solomons, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Cook island, the Loyalty and Marshall Islands, and Fiji, all of which will now come under the guidance of their own regional assembly; the many translations of Bahá’í literature into the languages spoken throughout these island groups—when we recall all these evidences of the onward march of the Faith, our hearts are lifted up in thanksgiving to Bahá’u’lláh Who made these victories possible, Victories which bear eloquent testimony to the great spiritual promise this area of the globe holds for the future, and lead us to believe that ere long its peoples will contribute, in the World Bahá’í Community, a particular, unique, and important share to its counsels and render it great services in both the teaching and administrative fields.
The words of the beloved Guardian, so often reiterated in the last years of his life, that the continent of Africa and the Pacific Islands were vying with each other for the palm of victory in the teaching field, are still ringing in our ears, We have recently seen during the visit of an African Hand of the Faith to that area how electric is the effect produced on the minds and hearts when a representative of a different race, from a distant land, travels amongst Bahá’í communities of another region. It forecast that happy day when Bahá’í teachers from the great ethnic groups of the Pacific will arise and travel to the far corners of the world, teaching the people the Glad-Tidings of this Divine Message, exchanging visits with their African brethren and, like bees in a garden of flowers, pollinating the hearts of men the world over with the love of Bahá’u’lláh.
The New Regional Assembly of the South Pacific should, we feel, form a supplementary Four-Year Plan for the purpose of rapidly swelling the number of the adherents of the Faith throughout the area of its jurisdiction; consolidating the historic work already achieved in these newly-opened territories; markedly increasing the number of spiritual assemblies, groups, and isolated centers in the ten island territories which it represents; incorporating, whenever possible, those local assemblies which are firmly grounded: multiplying the translations of Bahá’í literature in the languages spoken in that region; founding additional local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, Bahá’í schools, and summer schools; purchasing the site of the future Mother Temple of the South Pacific to be erected in Suva; and inaugurating an independent National Fund.
Well knowing the difficulties that confront it and the enthusiasm with which its newly-elected members plan to carry forward the work of our glorious Faith in that promising area, we are placing at its disposal, in the name of our most beloved Guardian, the sum of One Thousand Dollars as an inaugural gift to its new National Fund. We feel sure this reminder of the constant love of Shoghi Effendi, of the high hopes he cherished for the future of the Faith there, and the rapid unfoldment of its institutions under the aegis of this new Regional Assembly, will serve to stimulate the friends to shoulder a greater measure of responsibility. to rise to fresh heights of service and self-sacrifice, and to prove worthy of all the blessings showered upon them by that wonderful being who served them with such selfless and self-sacrificing devotion for thirty-six years.
You are now launching the harque of your own independent administrative existence. Although the American National Assembly, your Mother Assembly, will always be ready to give you advice and assistance, and although your fellow Bahá’ís all over the world will surround you with their loving thoughts and moral encouragement, your destiny is nevertheless now in your own hands, the hands of the peoples of these islands who have become Bahá’ís, and who are the electors of this historic Regional South Pacific Assembly. We feel confident that, just as you have already produced from amongst yourselves many Bahá’í teachers, you will in the future, with the help of the devoted pioneers who have come to live amongst you, ever increasingly carry on your own work, and teach this Faith to the people in hundreds of the larger islands throughout this area. Your activities will gladden the soul of our beloved Guardian, vindicate the confidence he placed in you and the high hopes he cherished for your future, and attract upon you the blessings of the Author of our Faith.
We can do no better than recall some of Bahá’u’lláh’s gemlike utterances when He appealed to His followers to arise and teach His Faith: “Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the Message of Him Who hath caused the dawn of Divine Guidance to break. Consider how the wind, faithful to that which God hath ordained, bloweth upon all regions of the earth, be they inhabited or desolate. Neither the sight of desolation nor the evidences of prosperity, can either pain or please it. It bloweth in every direction, as bidden by its Creator.”
“O ye beloved of God! Repose not yourselves on your couches, nay, bestir yourselves as soon as ye recognize your Lord, the Creator, and hear of-the things which have befallen Him, and hasten to His assistance. Unloose your tongues, and proclaim unceasingly His Cause.”
“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.”
“Please God ye may all be strengthened to carry out that which is the will of God, and may be graciously assisted to appreciate the rank conferred upon such of His loved ones as have arisen to serve Him and magnify His name, Upon them be the glory of God, the glory of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and the glory of the inmates of the most exalted Paradise, the heaven of heavens.”
In the service of the beloved Guardian,
HANDS OF TEH CAUSE IN THE HOLY LAND
(Signed) Rúhíyyih
Amelia Collins
Mason Remey
Leroy Ioas
Jalál Kházeh
A. Q. Faizí
Paul Haney
A. Fúrutan
Hand of the Cause Dr. Grossmann Visits Bahá’ís in Bolivia[edit]
The Master once said that the love of the friends drew him to America. It might well be said that the loving desire of the Indian believers in Bolivia brought to them a visit from a Hand of the Cause.
Two years ago, the friends in Vilakollo requested their National Assembly that a visit from a Hand of the Cause be made to their village, Their National Assembly was deeply touched with the request, and arranged for a visit from an‘ Auxiliary Board member and later two Visits from the National Assembly secretary.
On May 10, 1959, the revered Hand of the Cause, Dr. Hermann Grossmann, made the historic visit to the Indian village of Vilakollo, meeting eleven adult believers and many children. The friends, realizing that the strenuous trip and walking in the high altitude had physically affected Dr. Grossmann, offered immediate prayers in Spanish, Aymara, and Quecha. The believers were profoundly impressed to have their wish for a visit from a Hand of the Cause granted and his loving and encouraging words made them extremely happy.
Later, Dr. Grossmann visited the communities of Cochabamba and La Paz, in intimate meetings with the friends and close contacts. In Cochabamba he said that such was the spirit there “that he could not distinguish between those who were and were not Bahá’ís.”
His visit to Bolivia ended May 16, as he took off from the highest airport in the world in La Paz. The Bolivian friends closed their report on this memorable first visit from a Hand of the Cause with these words: “Jamas lo olvidaremos los Bahá’ís de Bolivia!” (Never shall the Bahá’ís of Bolivia forget him!)
U.S. United Nations Committee Explains Bahá’í View on World Refugee Year[edit]
A proposal for a World Refugee Year, to begin in June 1959, was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 5, 1958, following the
Hand of the Cause Dr. Hermann Grossmann (center)
during his visit to the friends of Vilokollo, Bolivia, on
May 10,1959.
presentation or a draft resolution sponsored by the
United States, the United Kingdom, and eight other
governments. The stated aims of World Refugee Year
are:
“a) To focus interest on the refugee problem and to encourage additional financial contributions from Governments, voluntary agencies, and the general public for its solution.
“b) To encourage additional opportunities for permanent refugee solutions, through voluntary repatriation, resettlement, or integration, on a purely humanitarian basis and in accordance with the freely expressed wishes of the refugees themselves.”
World Refugee Year is envisioned as a “human year,” in Contrast with the scientific emphasis of the recently Concluded International Geophysical Year. It has been estimated that some forty million men, women, and children have become refugees since the end of World War II.
Over two million still need some form of assistance from the United Nations. They once had homes in parts or Europe, Algeria, Palestine, Tibet, or China, but are escapees from the horrors of war, revolution, and persecution. Too many seem to have reached a dead end in a camp in Austria, a barracks in Italy, a tent in Gaza, a shack in Hong Kong. Countless children have been born in these places and still live there. But once the conscience of man is aroused, as the world learned during the Hungarian crisis, miraculous rescues can be accomplished.
The Bahá’í U.S. United Nations Committee believes Bahá’ís should understand this worldwide movement, about which newspapers and magazines are carrying information. Authoritative pamphlets may be obtained for the asking by writing the “United States Committee for Refugees,” 11 West 42nd St., New York 36, N.Y.
It is clear that Bahá’í undertakings have first, if not total claim on any funds Bahá’ís are able to contribute to worthy causes, for we, under the guidance of Bahá’u’lláh, are building a world order which will be the true refuge for all mankind. “That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.” Nevertheless we can advise our non-Bahá’í friends, who are not permitted to contribute to the Bahá’í Cause, about this opportunity to alleviate human misery and rid the world of some of its trouble spots. Futhermore, some of us are members of organizations that would be glad to concern themselves with World Refugee Year if they understood its purpose.
—U.S. UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE
Permit Teaching an Alberta Indian Reservation[edit]
There are now eight Indian believers on the Peigan Reserve in Alberta, Canada. The Canadian Indian Teaching Committee reports there are several more studying the Faith, and they expect to mm a local spiritual assembly there next April. This committee has received permission from the Indian Council to teach on the Reserve, and much interest has been aroused by their visits.
National Assembly of Burma, New Pillar of Bahá’í Faith, Elected at Rangoon Convention[edit]
First National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Burma, elected Riḍván 1959, with Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samandarí and I. K. B. Bakhtiari, member of the Asian Auxiliary Board (holding plaque of The Greatest Name).
Delegates to the first Burma Convention, held in Rangoon on April 23
to 25, 1959, with Mr. Samandarí and
Mr. Bakhtiari.
Bahá’ís attending the First Convention of the Bahá’ís of Burma.
Annual Conventions Review Achievements of Past Year, Marshal Forces to Attain Remaining Crusade Goals
Alaska[edit]
At 11 a.m. on the opening day of the Third Annual Convention, following the reading of the message from the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land, the Bahá’ís of Alaska proceeded to the site of the future Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, eight miles out of Anchorage, for the dedication ceremony.
A short distance on De Armoun Road, off the Seward highway, and up a rather steep incline lies the hallowed spot, a setting lavishly endowed by nature and fashioned by the Hand of God throughout all eternity for the Mother Temple of Alaska.
Even the elements joined in the festivities of this eventful sacred mission. After an intermittent downpour of several weeks, the sun broke through fluffy white clouds. Show-capped mountains smiled down from all sides, while below us the waters of Cook’s Inlet, an arm of the Pacific Ocean, shimmered in the sunshine.
Silence fell upon the group of fifty people gathered there, It deepened into calmness as we revelled in the scenic vista around us, our hearts in unison with the wonder of it all.
A group of nine people gathered in a semicircle facing the assembled friends, while a deep peace, felt only on rare occasions, gave a realization that invisible forces were there.
Elmer Guffy, pioneer to Fairbanks in the World Crusade, made the introductory remarks, telling us how a gift of three acres of land was offered to the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska by Evelyn and Vernon Huffman in 1957, and that this had the approval of our beloved Guardian in a letter of August 15, 1957, along with his appreciation.
The stillness was broken as Mrs. Huffman, secretary of the National Assembly, read from the Sacred Writings. Other readings were then given by Betty Becker, one of the first pioneers to Alaska under the first Seven-Year Plan; by Mrs. Janet Stout, the first believer in Alaska under the first Seven-Year Plan; by Robert E. Moul, pioneer to Ketchikan and Douglas under the World Crusade, and chairman of the National Assembly; and by Edgar Russell, World Crusade pioneer to Seward.
The “Prayer for Alaska,” which is very close to the heart of all Alaskan Bahá’ís, was read by Arthur Gregory, one of the first believers in Alaska, who served on the first local spiritual assembly, and who is now pioneering in Homer. This was followed by readings by Mrs. Dorothy Taylor, delegate from Ketchikan; and by Mrs. Rose Yarno, first pioneer to Kodiak under the World Crusade.
Wallace Harrison concluded the dedicatory service by reading “The House of Worship.” His wife, Agnes, is our first native believer in Alaska, of Eskimo, Indian, and Aleut descent.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Alaska
for 1959-1960, elected April 26, 1959, Front row: Kathryn
Alio, Janet Johnson, Lois K. Lee, and Evelyn Huffman.
Back Row: Robert E. Maul, John Kolstoe, Richard
Mereness, Verne L. Stout, and Howard Brown.
One of the friends stated: “Pilgrims who visited the
Holy Land during the lifetime of the Guardian have
told us of his great joy and happiness when goals
and tasks were accomplished. Surely his presence was
with us on this very eventful occasion, and we trust
that we have gladdened his heart, at least in a small
measure, in fulfilling this goal of the World Crusade.
“Blest must be the city of Anchorage, to be the area chosen by our beloved Guardian for the first Temple of Alaska. This city is fast becoming the hub for intercontinental travel, the air crossroads of the world. Here people of all races, color, and creeds will find a universal House of Worship. We are looking forward to the day when the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will diffuse its beams of unity through our great land of Alaska, and will bring about the fulfillment of its destiny, the oneness of its people.”
During the convention sessions which followed, on April 25 and 26, the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly enumerated the progress made to date on the World Crusade: (1) Inaugurating a National Bahá’í Fund, (2) Initiating local Bahá’í endowments, (3) Incorporating the National Assembly, (4) Purchasing a plot of land, and (5) Establishing a summer school.
Six challenging goals remain to be completed: (1) Maintain existing assemblies and increase their membership to 151, (2) Incorporation of active local assemblies, (3) Establish six new local assemblies by 1963, (4) Form seven groups, and (5) Multiply the number of Bahá’í centers. The National Assembly emphasized consolidation, rather than dispersal, this year.
—BETTY BECKER
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Argentinu, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay fo1 1959.
1950. Front row: Salvador To'rmo, Sra. Fahiemie Guillon, Mrs. Ellen Sims, and Roque Centurion Miranda.
Back Row: Roberto Cazcurra, Dr. Jose Mielnik, D1’.
Alejandro Reid, Carlos Martinez, and Athos costas.
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay[edit]
The Third Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay was held in the beautiful resort city of Vina del Mar, Chile, with twenty-six delegates and forty-two visitors present, including a Persian, an American travelling teacher, a Bolivian Indian pioneer, and Juan Fernandez Island Bahá’ís attending their first convention.
After a two-day Pre-Convention School, the Convention met on April 30, May 1-2, 1959.
Bahá’ís attending the Third Annual Convention of Alaska at Anchorage on April 25-26, 1959.
To the visiting friends, the region around Vina elevated the spirits with the Chilean panorama of mountain and ocean, vineyards and flowers everywhere.
The spiritual atmosphere at loving hospitality was provided by the host communities of Valparaiso, Quilpué, and the joyful, newly—fomed community of Viña del Mar as they gave the reception for delegates and Visitors in Hotel O’Higgins on April 27 and the Riḍván Feast on April 28.
The presence of the revered Hand of the Cause, Dr. Hermann Gross:-nann, during this period widened our vision of the future of the cause in this area, and gave a profound sense of the spirit emanating train the Holy Land. As a result, the convention was characterized by high resolve and serene faith.
Progress of the Faith was reflected in the report of formation of three new local spiritual assemblies: Rosario, Argentina; Viña del Mar, Chile; and the second all-Indian assembly in Bolivia, located in Jankahuyu. The goal of the purchase of the Paraguayan Temple land was reached, as well as the development and expansion of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust in Buenos Aires.
It was very heartening to learn that most of the population of Juan Fernandez Island is now receptive to the Faith, and to learn of several other large groups of Bolivian Indian believers, with continually growing statistics there.
Much consultation was given to the pioneers’ needs to reach the minimum goals in Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, as both Argentina and Bolivia met their assembly goals this year. Four local assemblies need to be formed this coming year: Minas, Uruguay; Encarnacion, Paraguay; and Loncoche and Valdivia, Chile, to insure this triumph.
Many friends arose to otter their vacation period to[Page 14]
teach in these places, although all agreed that permanent pioneers are urgently needed. The hope was
expressed that the “wave of pioneers” called for by
the Hands of the Cause will be realized soon. Special
attention was called to the need for German-speaking
pioneers in the Valdivia-Loncoche-Osorno area of Chile,
where the goals have been set up.
No report on this convention would be complete without comment on the humble devotion shown by the Bolivian Indian believers in such expressions as: “Brothers, in our community we pray for all the assemblies, and we try to live together with open hearts.”
Those elected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly tor the coming year are: Roberto Cazcarra, Salvador Tormo, Athos Costas, Joe Mielnik, Fabienne Guillon, Ellen Sims, Roque Centurion, Alejandro Reid, and Carlos Martinez
—ELLEN SIMS
Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela[edit]
Nineteen delegates had the privilege of attending the Third Convention of Brazil, Perú, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. The Bahá’í communities of Lima and Callao, Perú, hosts of the convention, graciously offered the hospitality of their homes to all delegates and visitors. The beautiful Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Lima provided ample rooms for public meetings and convention sessions, as well as a special spiritual atmosphere.
Continuing the custom of other years, there was a two-day school preceding the convention for the purpose of getting better acquainted, and to contribute a deeper understanding of the Teachings of our Faith. One period of the school program was given over to Irvin Thomas, who had just returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Bahá’ís who attended the Third Annual Convention of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, held in Viña del Mar, Chile, from April 30 to May 2, 1959.
On the opening day of the convention, the message from the Hands of the Faith was read, giving the global victories won and the challenge, in words that we pray will be unforgettably engraved on every heart, the urgency to complete the Ten-Year Plan that our beloved Guardian left with us.
A special call was made for Bahá’ís to leave the communities where they could be spared, in order to go where goals had not yet been completed. It was recommended that national teaching commitees of the five countries in this territory guard with vigilance the newly-formed assemblies and groups through the stimulus of a constant flow of teaching materials and visitors.
Though Brazil and Perú have met their goals as to the number of assemblies designated by the Guardian, there is always the ever>present need of fortifying and deepening them. One of the most urgent calls was made for pioneers to go to Ecuador, Colombia. and Venezuela to form the necessary assemblies.
In response to this call, three families and ten individuals offered their services. It was also announced that three members of the outgoing National Assembly were going to goal areas, two to remain in the territory of the national regional assembly of the northern part of South America, and one to transfer to the southern part.
One of the outstanding accomplishments of the past year is the purchase of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Caracas, Venezuela, thus completing one of the most difficult goals of the Crusade. The documents of the future Temple of Colombia were signed in March 1959. The land for the Temple in Brazil was donated by Mrs. Leonora Armstrong. and the site for the Temple in Ecuador has been purchased. only two sites remain to be purchased.
The contribution of a tract of land by Muriel and
Edmund Miessler has been given to the future National Assembly of Brazil to be used as a summer
School. Mrs. Armstrong has given a tract of land in
the name of the Local Assembly of Rio that will be[Page 15]
transferred to the future National Assembly of Brazil.
A plot of land was also donated by Heshmate’lláh
Mehrain to the Local Assembly of Curitiba, Brazil.
The Bahá’ís of Calléio, Pen}. are buying land for a
future Center.
The newly-elected National Spiritual Assembly includes: Margot Worley, Dorothy Campbell, Gayle Woolsen, Edmund Miessler, Cyrus Monadjemi, Mercedes Sanchez, Djalal Eghrari, Rangvald Taetz, and Jamshed Meghnot.
—EVE NICKLIN
Canada[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada for 1959-1960, elected at the annual convention, includes the following: L. G. Gardner. chairman; Rowland Estell, vice-chairman; Harold Moscrop, treasurer; Peggy Ross, secretary; Mrs. Audrey Westhauser, acting secretary; and Fred Graham, Miss Winnifred Harvey. Hartwell Bowsfield, and Allan Raynor.
Iberian Peninsula[edit]
The Third Annual Iberian Convention was held in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Madrid, Spain, on April 24-26, with the attendance of seventeen of the nineteen delegates representing the ten local spiritual assemblies. Two absentee votes were sent by mail. Two visitors from other communities were Senior Salem, vice-chairman of the Local Assembly of Ceuta, Spanish Morroco, who, during the session, recited the Tablet of Ahmad in the original Arabic; and Señor Cándido Mateos Marina, the first believer in the town of Bejar, near Salamanca. Señor Mateos had been received as a believer only the day before, and great was the*joy at welcoming this new member of the Bahá’í family.
Left: National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Greater Antilles for 1959-1960. Front Row: Mme. Circee Brantome, Dr. Celestina Perez, Miss A. Gallier, and Sra. Juana Ortuno. Back Row: Eustace Bailey, Raphael Benzan, Mrs. Sheila Rice-Wray, W. A. Mitchell, and Dr. Maurice LaFleur. Right: Bahá’ís who attended the Greater Antilles Convention in Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic, April 24 to 26, 1959.
Charles Monroe Ioas, member of the Auxiliary
Board of the Hands, and chairman of the out-going National Spiritual Assembly, was elected permanent
chairman of the convention, and Don Luis Ortuño
Puche, its secretary.
As the convention message had not yet arrived from the revered Hands in Haifa. the great and urgent message of November 30, 1958. was read to the assemblage, and at a later session its points were discussed and pondered.
The Teaching Report showed the dramatic result of an intensive spiritual effort in Portugal, with the sudden and unexpected bursting into life of a new local assembly in Portimão, fruit of two slow years of work by two Portuguese pioneers, Lydia and Armando Boucas, and the recent help of visiting instructors, most important being the fifteen-day stay of the Tiffon sisters of Spain.
Although Spain had already reached its goal of eight assemblies, true to its prpmise, it has not stopped at these, but has produced a ninth local assembly this year at Hospitalet, near Barcelona. A temple site is still to be bought: and the difficult task of achieving the legalization (incorporation) of the Faith is still incomplete.
In spite of having to deprive some believers of the voting right, the number of believers on the Penninsula is 224. This year twenty-eight persons became believers in Spain, and ten in Portugal, making a total of thirty-six. The number of local assemblies in Spain is nine; Portugal three, with five more needed to reach its goal of eight. The number of groups in Spain is four: there are none in Portugal. The number of isolated believers is seven in Spain, two in Portugal.
A noteworthy effort, which is attracting new believers in Tarrasa, near Barcelona, is the formation of
a Bahá’í choral group by Juan Llenart Casa, who has
set verses and prayers to music and trained some thirty[Page 16]
I6
friends, the number of Bahá’ís there being forty-two.
Several members of this Bahá’í choral group were
present at the convention, and lent a much enjoyed
musical note to the sessions.
On the afternoon of April 24, the members of the Third Iberian National Assembly were elected with the following result: Charles Monroe Ioas, chairman; Francisco Salas, vice-chairman; Luis Ortuno, secretary; Sara Tiffon, recording secretary; Isidro Torrella, treasurer for Spain: Angelo Silva Carneiro, treasurer for Portugal; and Jose Lopez Monge, Romon Escartin, and Virginia Orbison.
During the convention several important points were brought out and clarified, among these being the fact that the Bahá’ís must carry out the beloved Guardian’s emphatic directives in regard to Bahá’í marriages. and the non-baptizmg of Bahá’í children, even though such procedure might bring inconveniences upon the families who faithfully observe the laws of their Faith, thus cleaving forever the old order from the New. Some time was also spent on a discussion of the difference between Covenant-breaking and the various reasons for the removal of names from the voting lists. It was brought out that protection of the Faith is of primary importance.
The annual reports showed a real increase in the tempo of the teaching work, it being felt that the beloved Guardian ls aiding from the Abhá Kingdom, and the Concourse on High is opening doors and making safe the path. The prayers of the revered Hands of the Faith and the visit of one of the distinguished members. Dr. Ugo Giachery, last January: the stimulus provided by the various summer school sessions and special teaching projects; the increased travelling and visits by the believers to various points of the Peninsula—all this has brought into being a deeper feeling of responsibility and the assurance that somehow the efforts of those who are devoting their time, means, and energy to the goals of the Ten-Year Plan will see all of these reached through the spiritual dynamics engendered by the Guardian’s prayer for the believers of the Iberian Penninsula written by his own hand:
“That they may prove themselves worthy of their high calling, that they may excite by the quality and range of their achievements, the admiration of their brethren in all the continents ol the globe, that they may hasten, by the very nature of their exertions, the advent of the day when they will have entered upon a still more exalted stage in their collective advancement on the high road of their destiny.”
—VIRGINIA ORBISON
France[edit]
“UNDER PROTECTION or OUR BELOVED GUARDIAN, SECOND BAHÁ’Í CONVENTION FRANCE CONVENED APRIL 25. TWO AUXILIARY BOARD MEMBERS, 17 DELEGATES, ALL COMMUNITIES PRESENT. A SPIRIT OF DEVOTION AND ENTHUSIASM PERVADES THIS MEMORABLE GATHERING AIMING ACCOMPLISHMENT REMAINING GOALS OF CRUSADE IN FRANCE.”
This cable to the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land conveyed the spirit evoked by the annual convention message from the World Center of the Faith, which contained the news of the many victories won in the great World crusade in its sixth year, rejoicing the hearts of the friends.
Consultation focused on the ways and means by which France could help with the teaching needs of Europe, to aid in the accomplishment of the Crusade goals, by extending pioneer assistance, circuit teaching help, audio-visual material, and literature.
Mr. Navidi, Auxiliary Board member from Monte Carlo, appealed to each Bahá’í to make every effort possible, during the next three years, to fulfill the wishes of the Guardian for the propagation of the Faith. He pointed out that the failure of one country to achieve its goals was now the failure of all.
M. Pettit, secretary or the National Assembly, read the annual report of the collective activities of France during this first year of its stewardship. The achievement of the crusade goal for the incorporation of
Seventh Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of Italy and Switzerland, held at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds at Bern, Switzerland, on April 25-26, 1959.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of France
for 1959-1960.
the National Assembly, and the transfer of the deed
of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds to that body, now in process,
as well as the circuit teaching help which had been
extended the various communities, especially the three
circuits of Jean Sevin, were the highlights of the report.
A large map of France indicated the present status of the Faith: seven assemblies, ten groups, and twenty isolated believers, with a membership of seventy-six French believers, thirty-eight Persian, twenty-eight American, and eleven of other nationalities, and with nine new Bahá’ís enrolled during the year.
These reports were followed by the election of the new National Spiritual Assembly. Those chosen, and their officers, are: Joel Marangella, chairman; Sara Kenny, vice-chairman; Chahab ‘Alá’í, secretary; Jacques Sognomonian, treasurer; Lucienne Migette, recording secretary; and Monir Derakhchan, Francois Petit, Florence Bagley, and A. M. Barafruokhteh.
Twelve national Committees were called on for reports of their activities during the year. National Teaching Committee Secretary Alice Bernard reviewed the many teaching activities, and the Translating and Publishing Committee reported several new French translations of Bahá’í literature.
Mrs. Dreyfus-Barney, with a radiance and charm undimmed by the years, gave the friends word-pictures of Haifa and ‘Akká when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was there. She spoke of her first visit to Haifa in 1901, and later of the early days of the Faith in France.
With such changes in the space of fifty years, in the progress of the Faith, it was clear that these next four years of the Crusade would also bear witness to the power of the word of God in hastening the establishment of His Kingdom, through the achievement of the goals set for us by our beloved Shoghi Effendi,
—AMELIA BOWMAN
Northeast Africa[edit]
On April 27, 1959, delegates representing nine territories of Northeast Africa‘ assembled at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss Bahá’í affairs at their four-day annual convention.
The goals under the Ten-Year Crusade, as well as those under the Seven-Year Plan and the subsidiary goals, were all surveyed at full length. It was observed that there had been marked progress in some areas, but others were slow in developing.
The penitent looks of the members of the convention made one conscious of the fact that unless there is a greater upsurge of gigantic energies in the field, for the limited period of our active service as we press forward toward our goals, we are liable to be deprived of the privilege of following in the train of those who have been chosen as the standard-bearers of Bahá’u’lláh under the wise leadership of our most beloved Guardian.
It was, therefore, recommended that the Tablet of Ahmad be chanted, with a pause of three-minutes’ silence for meditation and supplication with all hearts attuned to the Abba Kingdom, so that the convention deliberations yield the tangible results envisaged under the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The convention was elated with the gla-tidings of the official recognition of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Asmara, Eritrea, as a religious body. Persecution, the arrest of friends, and inquiries by public security forces made the responsible authorities realize that the Bahá’ís had nothing to do with politics. The Central Government circulated this fact to all division officers in Eritrea.
The discussions, all through the convention, revolved around the orbit of the challenging words of Rúḥíyyih Khánum: “The strength of the Bahá’ís is in each other. We feel lonesomeness except in meeting together, when our hearts are consoled. We love Shoghi Effendi now more than ever, and we find our happiness in doing something to please him.”
The incoming National spiritual Assembly was elected, and constituted as follows: ‘Abdul Rahim Yazdi, chairman; Husein Amin Bikar, vice-chairman; Teewfiq Muḥammad ‘Alí, secretary; Subhi Elias, treasurer; Mirza Badí Bushrui, assistant secretary; and Jamsheed Munajjim, Dr. Rawshan Yazdi, Seeyid Muḥammad Azzawi, and Iskandar Hanna.
—BADÍ BUSHRUI
Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of France, held at
Paris at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
India[edit]
Our convention this year was unique in many ways. We were allotted ninety-five delegates from India only, with fifty-tour delegates attending from all corners of the nation.
India as a country has been blessed with its variety of people. and this was greatly manifested among the participants who belong to different states and come from all walks of life: a gathering that was truly representative of the peoples of India. To crown it all, the Bahá’í spirit of consultation was maintained throughout, which added to the beauty of such an important gathering.
We were fortunate to be graced by the presence of our revered Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samandari, and our dear friend I. K. B. Bakhtiari, member of the Asian Auxiliary Board, at our Post-Convention Teaching Conference. They gave us valuable information about the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Burma at Rangoon, and stressed the need of greater efforts in trying to win the goals of our beloved Guardian’s Ten-Year Crusade.
The significance of the Feast of Rldvan, “The King of Feasts,” and the need to celebrate the twelve daysĝ of Riḍván in a most befitting manner was explained by Mr. Samandari in detail. He pointed out that all these twelve days should be considered as a spiritual springtime; we should feel elated and allow the divine blessings to work through us.
He particularly brought home to us the need for Indian women to rise up in greater numbers, and help spread the Cause with a renewed effort amongst the awaiting masses.
Friends greeting Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samandarí upon his arrival at the airport in New Delhi,
India, on April 30, 1959.
The conference ended with a keen note of enthusiasm, and there was a general eagerness among the
participants to get back to their respective centers,
to share their profitable experiences with those at
home, and to strike out with renewed vigor in spreading the Teachings of our beloved Cause.
—INDIA BAHÁ’Í NEWS BULLETIN
Bahá’ís attending the Post-Convention Teaching Conference held in New Delhi, India, on May 1 to 3, 1959. Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samamdari is holding the plaque of The Greatest Name; to his right is I. K. B. Bakhtiari, member of the Asian Auxialliary Board.
Visit to Temple Site Highlights Australian Convention[edit]
On May 3, 1959, Bahá’ís who were attending the Annual Convention in Sydney, Australia, visited the site where the Mother Temple of Australia is now being constructed. In the photograph below, the friends are shown as they inspect the progress of the building.
In the picture above, the Bahá’ís are gathered in front of the Sydney Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds on May 2, scene of the convention, encircling Hands of the Cause Clara Dunn (in chair) and H. Collis Featherstone (to her left).
Northeast Asia[edit]
The Third Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of Northeast Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao) was held in Tokyo from April 24 to 26, 1959. The meeting place, which had just been completed and opened a few days previously, as if in preparation for the convention. was the lovely Toshi Center, built by the Japan Association of Mayors as a national headquarters, and one of the most beautiful and modern public buildings in this rapidly-growing international metropolis.
Following devotions in Japanese, Chinese, Iranian, and English (due to tensions in the world of international politics, none of the Korean friends were able to attend), the convention was organized on the first morning with the election of William Maxwell of Seoul as chairman, and Mrs. Barbara Sims of Tokyo as secretary.
The spirits of all present were uplifted, and the tune of the entire convention period was set, by the reading of the inspiring and challenging message from the Hands of the Faith in Haifa. Although it had not been received soon enough for a Japanese translation to be prepared before the convention opened, some of the most thrilling sections reporting victories attained were given impromptu translation on the spot so that all the friends present could participate simultaneously in the spiritual exhilaration. A reply was voted, expressing appreciation for the Hands’ message, and the newly-strengthened determination of the pioneers to remain at their posts.
In the Annual Report of the outgoing National Spiritual Assembly, some of the highlights were as follows:
1. The incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Northeast Asia was completed in February 1959, thus fulfilling one of the goals of the Guardian’s Ten-Year Plan and of Northeast Asia’s subsidiary Six-Year Plan.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Northeast
Asia for 1959-1960. Front Row: William Maxwell, Masazo Odani, Miss Agnes Alexander, Dr. Ikuo Mizuno,
and Philip Marangella, Back Row: Dr. David M. Earl,
Mrs. Barbara Sims, Noureddin Momtazi, and Hirayasu
Takana.
2. Four new local assemblies were formed on April
21, 1959: Ashiya, Nagasaki, and Sapporo, Japan; and
Chonju, Korea. The formation of the Nagasaki Local
Assembly consummated the Guardian’s special hope
that the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in particular, should be afforded the bounty of receiving the
Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. (The Hiroshima assembly
National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Northeast Asia, held at the Toshi center, Tokyo, Japan, on April 24 to 26, 1959. Hand of the Cause Agnes B. Alexander is holding the plaque of The Greatest Name.
had been established previously.)
3. Translation and publication of pamphlets and writings into Japanese, Korean, and Chinese continued. The outstanding publication of the year was Paris Talks in Korean. The Bahá’í Geppo, or Northeast Asia news letter, was published every other month in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and English editions.
4. Summer schools were held in 1958 in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
5. The first Bahá’í burial ground in this area was acquired in Ashiya, through the efforts and donation of one of Iranian pioneers.
6. A suitable Temple site has been found after long search, and negotiations are now under way which it is hoped will result in its purchase.
During the course of the convention, pledges were received insuring the establishment of three new Centers: for Hiroshima and the new community of Sapporo, by one of the Iranian pioneers; and for the new community of Nagasaki, by an American pioneer.
On April 26 the message from the Hands was explained in Japanese, and lively discussion ensued on this, together with remaining committee reports and recommendations to the new National Assembly. The convention closed with an opportunity for every friend present, whether a delegate or not, to express his feelings briefly; and the spirit of unity, harmony, and renewed dedication was so strong that no one remained unmoved by this tangible evidence that this infant community of Northeast Asia was ready to press on to victories which could hardly have been imagined even five short years ago.
—JOY HILL EARL
Third Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand,
held at Auckland on April 23 to 26, 1959, elected the
above members to the National Spiritual Assembly for
1959-1960. Front Row: Mesdames D. Weeks, G. ‘Ala’i,
L. Fenner, M. Hamish, and Mr. P. Leadley. Back Row:
Messrs. D. Weeks, T. Stirling, S. J. Carr, and H. K.
Blundell. In addition to the message from the Hands
of the Cause in the Holy Land, which generated considerable discussion, messages were welcomed from
Hands of the Cause Clara Dunn and H. Collis Featherstone, Mrs. B. Van der Vaart and Hugh K. Blundell,
member of the Auxiliary Board, sent messages from
the first South Pacific Convention at Suva, Fiji.
Proclamation of Faith in France Gains Great Impetus in Recent Months[edit]
The teaching in France has received a great impetus with the return visit of Jean Sevin, pioneer to the Tuamotu Islands and the only native Bahá’í who went out from France to answer the Guardian’s call for pioneers in the virgin territories at the beginning of the Ten-Year Crusade.
Because France had so few active native believers at this time, a few strongly advised him against going, but in response to .Iean‘s request for advice from our beloved Guardian, he was told that the work he could accomplish in France could not compare with what he would be doing for the Cause by pioneering in a virgin territory. Later the Guardian wrote to the Paris Assembly, promising them that his pioneering would prove to be a bounty for France.
Many of the believers in France felt that this meant that the sacrifice of one of its few native French believers to the pioneering work would enable France in her turn to meet her goals. With the arrival of a large percentage of the fifty American pioneers that the beloved Guardian had requested for France, as well as the pioneers from other countries, France is one of the European countries which is near to meeting all its goals of the Crusade.
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of San
Miguel de Allende Guanajuato, Mexico, formed on
April 21, 1959. Front Row: Gustavo Lopez, a native
pioneer from Mexico City, and Miguel Rodrigez, the
first believer of native origin to be enrolled in San
Miguel and in the state of Guanajuato. Middle Row:
Angeline Hanna, Helen Ames, Mary Miller, and Loraine Landau. Back Row: Richard Hanna, Marion Johnson, and David Johnson. This is the fifth local assembly
to be formed in Mexico.
The bounties in this Faith are usually doubled, and
the case of Jean Sevin proves it once more. He returned with a large number of beautiful slides of Tahiti[Page 22]
and the Islands. He took advantage of his stay to inform himself of the daily life, customs, and history
of the natives, and therefore, under such titles as
“Polynesia and the Dawn of a New World,” and “Colored Slides of Tahiti” followed by a talk on “The Bahá’ís of Tahiti,” he was able to attract large crowds in
many cities to hear about the French colony and the Bahá’í Faith. The first half of Jean’s program was devoted to showing slides and talking about Tahiti and the
Polynesians, and the second half was devoted to giving
the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, and the need of the islanders for these Teachings. His profound knowledge of his
subject and excellent presentation enabled him to
hold the attention of his audience throughout. Thus for
the first time in France, the Faith has been widely
proclaimed this year.
Opportunities appeared miraculously many times, and the National Teaching Committee quickly took advantage of them. A girlhood friend of a Bahá’í from Chateauroux offered to organize a meeting in Toulouse, and during ten days of the busy Christmas season, had posters printed and placed, advertised in the newspapers, sent personal invitations, and attracted an audience of 300 persons, one of whom had been looking for the Bahá’ís for six months. A pioneer has since moved to this progressive city to continue the work began there.
The National Teaching Committee asked the only Bahá’í in Menton, an old lady new in the Faith whose sight is very bad, to arrange a meeting for Jean. She felt it was hopeless until she read in Journal Bahá’í the report of the success at Toulouse, and decided to trust in God and ask the help of Bahá’ís nearby. With the aid of believers from Nice and Monte Carlo, a local theater was rented, and the largest and most successful meeting took place in this small seaside border city, with a warm and responsive audience of 400. At the request of some of those present, regular firesides are being carried on with the help of neighboring Bahá’ís.
U. S. Baha’i Summer Schools[edit]
Geyserville Bahá’í School, June 21 -Sept. 6[edit]
Rates from $22.00 to $37.00 weekly tor adults, $10.00 to $14.00 for children from 2 to 14 years. Write for information and reservations to: Geyaerville Bahá’í School, Geyserville. Calif.
Green Acre Bahá’í Institute, July 3-Aug. 31[edit]
Rates from $35.00 to $45.00 weekly for adults, $2.00 to $20.00 for children up to 14 years. Write for details and program to: Mrs. Irene Miniutti, Green Acre Bahá’í Institute, Eliot, Maine.
Davison Bahá’í School, July 20 to Sept. 4[edit]
Rates from $3.50 to $4.25 per day for adults, $2.00 to $3.25 per day for children up to is years. Write for details to: Mrs. Dorothy Hoffman. Registrar, Davison Bahá’í School, 3208 South State Road, Davison, Mich.
Blue Ridge Bahá’í School, August 22-28[edit]
Rates from $83.50 to $52.00 for adults for the seven days, halt prices for children. Write for details to: Mrs. Harold Bowman, 4512 Riverdale Road, Riverdale, Md.
Southwestern Bahá’í School, Aug. 29-Sept. 5[edit]
Rates: $35.00 for the season for adults. $20.00 each for children, For information write to: Mrs. Allen Squires. 6941 Lakeshore Drive, Dallas, Texas.
All of the meetings brought excellent publicity, usually after personal interviews by the local newspapers. and often mentioning the Faith favorably. The best publicity appeared in Perigueux, where the only Bahá’í arranged two smaller but very successful meetings for Jean, and the local paper gave not only an excellent brief summary of the Teachings, but the address and time of a follow-up meeting. This comparatively new believer also arranged a moderately successful meeting at Bordeaux at the request of the National Teaching Committee.
Another new French believer came all the way from Nice to arrange a public meeting in Nancy, her former home and a goal city chosen by our beloved Guardian. This attracted an audience of more than sixty persons, including one who had heard of the Faith from Mrs. May Maxwell, Rúḥíyyih Khánums mother, years ago.
These are just a few of the meetings which were arranged for Jean Sevin, who worked indefatigably, traveling constantly from one city to the next during the months of his stay in France. He also made circuits in the neighboring countries of Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland.
Mr. Sevin summed up the results himself when he said. “If I had remained in France, I might have given the message to a dozen persons in the last five years, but because I went pioneering l have been able to give the message to more than 3000 in a few months.”
The Bahá’í community of France has been especially blessed in having this impetus to the teaching work come to it during its first year as one of the national pillars in the Bahá’í Administration.
—FLORENCE BAGLEY
Reslate Guardian’s Directive to NSA’s To Report Achievements to “Bahá’í News”[edit]
Some years ago Shoghi Effendi expressed his hopes concerning the international development of the U.S. BAHÁ’Í NEWS, stating his desire that it would “become the foremost Bahá’í journal of the world.” (Bahá’í Administration, page 82.) The coming of the World Crusade and the International Ten-Year Teaching Plan further enlarged the world-wide scope of this journal, making it responsible for the summary of events marking the progress of this Plan as well as providing a stimulus to the achieving of these goals.
On October 20, 1957, the beloved Guardian wrote to to the Bahá’í News Editorial Committee, and included a statement that he was taking steps to see that “more international news, fresh from the bodies concerned" would reach BAHÁ’Í NEWS He gave instructions accordingly, so that the following letter was sent on his behalf by Leroy Ioas, on November 25, 1957, a few weeks after his passing:
“To all National Spiritual Assemblies:
Dearly beloved friends:
“The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you, the various National Assemblies throughout the world, in order to inform them that the American BAHÁ’Í NEWS is in a position to print the news of activities in other countries.
A group of students at a previous year’s Blue Ridge
Bahá’í Summer School, Blue Ridge, N. Car., earnestly
preparing for their seminar, on the pleasant lawn of
the hotel where the school is held. Session: at Blue
Ridge this year will be held from August 22 to 28. Further information may be obtained from the Registrar,
Mrs. Harold Bowman, 4512 Riverdale Road, Riverdale,
Md.
“This BAHÁ’Í NEWS is widely circulated throughout
the Bahá’í world and thus would give wide publicity to
any activities and successes which are achieved by
the friends in all parts of the world.
“The beloved Guardian requests that each National Spiritual Assembly appoint a special committee to see that regular, and quick, reports of important activities being Conducted in the area under their jurisdiction be sent to the Editors of the American BAHÁ’Í NEWS.
“This information should include news of the progress of the World Crusade, also the progress of subsidiary plans of the National Assembly in its own area. Also photos should be sent of any important Institutions that are established in the Faith.
“The Guardian attaches the utmost importance to this important matter and therefore hopes that your Assembly will take prompt action and appoint an efficient committee to carry forward this most important task.
“With loving Bahá’í greetings, I am
Faithfully yours,
(signed) Leroy Ioas
“P.S. This is one of the few letters I received instructions from the Guardian to write shortly before his ascension.”
Hands’ Convention Message Reveals Lack of Reports[edit]
A careful perusal of the recent convention message from the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land reveals that many important events of the past year were never received for publication in BAHÁ’Í NEWS. Although it is understandable that some communities are unable to publish detailed accounts of certain events, a majority of these reports were apparently omitted through oversight.
It is therefore earnestly hoped that each National Spiritual Assembly, including the newly established ones, will follow the directive of Shoghi Effendi in appointing someone to be responsible for sending regular and prompt reports from their areas direct to the Bahá’í News Editorial Committee, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill., U.S.A. If necessary, they may be addressed only to the International News Editor, Mrs. Eunice Braun, at that same address. (All U.S. news reports are to he sent to the Bahá’í News Editorial Committee at the same address. Miss Charlotte Linfoot is U.S. National News Editor.)
The editorial staff of BAHÁ’Í NEWS wishes to express sincere gratitude to all those who have cooperated so faithfully in the past year in the attempt to reach nearer to the high standards set by the beloved Guardian for this journal.
—RICHARD C. THOMAS, Managing Editor
Italy’s Fifth Assembly Formed at Genova[edit]
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Genova, Italy, was formed on April 21, 1959, making the fifth local assembly for this country Other cities having local assemblies are Rome, Florence, Naples, and Milano. Italy's goal in the Ten»Year Crusade is twelve assemblies.
Benelux NSA Plans Summer School[edit]
A Benelux Bahá’í Summer School will be held at Vlanden, Luxembourg, from July 25 to August 2, 1959, the Benelux National Spiritual Assembly has announced. Further information may be obtained by writing to the Summer School Committee, Bahá’í Center, 8 rue de Marechal Foch, Luxembourg.
BAHA’I IN THE NEWS[edit]
The Chicago Sun-Times for April 27 carried an interview with Miss Charlotte Linfoot on the subject of the House of Worship under the caption, "$00,000 Visit the Temple,” illustrated with a View of the structure
Bahá’í Proclamation Day[edit]
September 20, 1959
A Special Event for Proclaiming the Bahá’í Faith to Me Public
Sponsored by the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly[edit]
Theme:
America’s Spiritual Destiny
Suggested Publicity Materials:
Press Release from Bahá’í Press Service
The Destiny of America from Bahá’í Publishing Trust
Reports:
Newspaper clippings from U.S. communities are to be sent immediately to Bahá’í Press Service.
Written reports and photographs for publication in BAHÁ’Í NEWS are to be sent as soon as possible to the Bahá’í News Editorial Committee.
showing two believers seated in the Temple gardens. The interview dealt with the basic teachings and administrative principles of the Faith.
People and Places, September 1953, a magazine distributed through Desoto dealers, is illustrated with a two-page spread showing the Temple, interior of the dome, and an internal and external view of the House of Worship. The text is apparently based on the book written by Allen McDaniel.
Norman Cousins, editor of Saturday Review, wrote the editorial entitled “Is God a Christian?” in the issue of February 28. “If what we seek to do is to utilize the spiritual resources of men in meeting their problem at its largest, then those resources would have to come from Christian and Jew, from Moslem and Hindu, from Buddhist and Taoist, from Confucian and Bahá’í.”
Chicago Daily News of March 7, devoted a halfpage to a large colored illustration of the “Great Dome Shrine of Báb . . . the first thing to catch your eye as you approach the city.” The subtitle is “Wilmette Temple has a ‘Sister’ in Haifa.” The accompanying text reports an interview with Rúḥíyyih Khánum on the spread of the Faith during the World Crusade.
Greensboro (N.C.) Daily News for March 5 reported the pilgrimage to Haifa to be undertaken by a local Bahá’í, Kimball Kinney. The article is illustrated with a portrait of Mr. Kinney and a picture of the Bahá’í Archives on Mount Carmel.
A New York paper published in the German language reports on the showing of a film entitled “Israel Today" in Carnegie Hall, with oral comments by Comelius Vanderbilt, Jr. “The film showed pictures of Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba, the country of Abraham with its hyper-modern new buildings, the Dead Sea, Tiberias, Convents of Nazareth . . . the enchanting gardens of the Bahá’ís on Mount Carmel in Haifa . . . and much more.”
The Chicago Sunday Tribune on March 29 published an illustration of the Bahá Temple in its section entitled “The Bahá’í Traveler’s Guide.”
In the Sunday, March 22, issue of the San Francisco Examiner there is an article on “Modern Little Israel,” with a picture of Mount Carmel showing the Shrine of the Báb extending above the skyline.
Illinois Times, published in Champaign, used an illustration of the Temple to head a column listing the twelve principles in which Bahá’ís believe.
The Milwaukee Sentinel on May 2 featured an article headed “Racialism Works in Hawaii,” based upon an interview with the members of the Albin Kubala family who returned after five years of pioneering in Hawaii in order to attend the annual Convention.
The Jewish Digest, a monthly magazine, in its March issue published a condensation of “Bahá’í Calls Israel Home” by Carl Alpert. “Half way up the slope of Mount Carmel, and separated by the beautiful Persian gardens from the surrounding residential district nt Haifa, is the magnificent golden domed Shrine of the Bahá’í Faith.”
Baha’i Publishing Trust[edit]
New Printing — New Format[edit]
Basic Facts of the Bahá’í Faith. This most widely used item. written by the late Dr. Wm. Kenneth Christian, has recently been reprinted and made into a twofold leaflet, similar in format to One Universal Faith, and Pattern of Future Society, and printed in blue ink on white stock. Although most prices remain the same, it has been necessary to increase the 1,000 quantity price.
50 copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ .50
500 copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4.50
1,000 copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$8.50
Minimum Mail Order, $1.00
Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 110 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill.
Calendar of Events[edit]
FEASTS[edit]
July 13—Kalimát (Words)
August 1—Kamál (Perfection)
HOLY DAY[edit]
July 9—Martyrdom of the Báb
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS[edit]
July 24-23
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
Visiting Hours[edit]
Weekdays
10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. (Entire building)
7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. (Auditorium only)
Sundays and Holidays
10:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (Entire building)
5:00 P.M. to 9 P.M. (Auditorium only)
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 States as well as from national assemblies of other lands. Material is due in Wilmette on the first 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 1959-60; International News Editor, Mrs. Eunice Braun; National News Editor, Miss Charlotte M. Linfoot; Managing Editor, Richard C. Thomas,
Editorial Office: l10 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.
