Bahá’í News/Issue 347/Text
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| No. 347 | BAHA’I YEAR 116 | JANUARY, 1960 |
The Beloved Guardian’s Grave
Pay Tribute to Horace Holley’s Thirty-Six Years’ Service on U. S. National Assembly as He leaves for Holy Land[edit]
ON March 12, 1923, the beloved Guardian addressed a letter to the Bahá’ís throughout America, Great Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, and Australia emphasizing the responsibility of believers in spreading the Teachings and in establishing local assemblies in all cities having nine or more adult Bahá’ís. In the same letter the institution of the National Spiritual Assembly was presented in detail.
During Riḍván of that year there were elected for the first time local and national institutions having the functions of spiritual assemblies as we now recognize them in East and West.
Horace Holley was elected a member of the New York Local Spiritual Assembly and of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada that year. He has continued his services on the National Spiritual Assembly for thirty-six years without interruption. and has been its secretary since 1924. He has therefore been an active participant in the evolution of the Bahá’í community throughout all its stages of administrative development following the ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, including the two seven-year teaching plans formulated by the Guardian, the celebration of the Centenary of the Báb, the celebration of the Centenary of Bahá’u’lláh, and the Guardian’s World Crusade up to the present hour.
Before the rise of the administrative institutions, Horace Holley attended Bahá’í classes in Paris and in New York, traveled and lectured in many cities, and wrote books and articles to promote the Faith.
As a Hand of the Cause he participated in the intercontinental conferences in 1953 held in Kampala, Chicago. Stockholm, and New Delhi. By the Guardian’s appointment, he acted as treasurer of the Continental Fund of the Bahá’ís of the Western Hemisphere. When Latin American national Bahá’í assemblies were established, he represented the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States at conventions held in Panama and Lima, Peru.
By editing Bahá’í Administration, Bahá’í Procedure, Bahá’í World Faith, and other works, Mr. Holley made the Teachings available to Bahá’ís and students of the writings. He also founded BAHÁ’Í NEWS and The Bahá’í World, and served as co-editor of World Order Magazine.
The Guardian’s answers to questions addressed to him by Horace Holley, as secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, have been the exposition of Bahá’í administrative principles which have been the guidance of local and national assemblies throughout their formative years.
The profound sense of loss which the entire American Bahá’í community feels as Horace Holley leaves our midst to serve as one of the Hands of the Cause re siding permanently in the Holy Land is mitigated by our knowledge and assurance that his wisdom, his inspiration, and his unique experience as a chief champion-builder of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh will find their highest expression at our World Center during the remaining crucial years of the Ten-Year World Crusade.
The American Bahá’í community will also greatly miss Mrs. Doris Holley. who has served the Faith as a member of many important committees, but she is best known as the very gracious hostess of the National Hazirat’ul-Quds since 1924.
On December 19 the National Assembly was host to a farewell gathering for Mr. and Mrs. Holley in the Foundation Hall of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette. Letters of invitation were sent to all Bahá’í communities in the United States.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Four Hands of Cause to Serve In Western Hemisphere[edit]
In order to contribute to the intensive teaching work necessary to elect new local assemblies in Latin America during Riḍván 1960, to make it possible to form the national assemblies in 1961 called for by the Guardian’s Ten-Year Plan, the Custodians in Haifa have sent Dr. Hermann Grossmann, Dr. Ugo Giachery, and William Sears to serve it: Latin America. John Robarts is being sent to Canada in order to teach and travel in that country, while Mr. Khádem expects to come from Persia for teaching in the United States.
In addition Rúḥíyyih Khánum Will, if possible, attend the 1960 Annual Convention in Canada and the United States.
Charles Wolcott Elected Secretary of U. S. National Spiritual Assembly[edit]
At the October meeting of the US. National Spiritual Assembly Charles Wolcott was elected to fill the office of secretary. effective immediately on the departure of Horace Holley for the World Center of the Faith in Haifa, Israel.
Mr. Wolcott has been a member of the National Assembly since 1953 and its vice-chairman since 1954.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott will reside in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Wilmette, Ill., which is also the National Administrative Headquarters of the Bahá’ís of the United States.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Two Hands of the Cause Teach at Italo-Swiss Summer School[edit]
The sixth annual Bahá’í Summer School took place at the Hotel des Salines, Bex-les-Bains, Switzerland, from Friday, September 18 to the 26. The school was opened with inspirational talks by the Hands of the Cause Dr. Grossmann and Dr. Giachery. Dr. Giachery reminded us of the words of our Beloved Guardian as early as 1924: “One thing, and only one thing, will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.”
The courses were given in the three languages of the Italo-Swiss community, French, German, and Italian. Although Dr. Grossmann had attended various other European summer schools during the past few weeks, he accepted to come to Bex to help make our school a success, and to give a course on the German program.
Dr. Giachery gave the course in Italian. Mr. Swinnen of Brussels gave a course on comparative religion which was not only intensely interesting, but made one realize that if those who teach the Faith could know more of former religions it would help show how they are all so closely interwoven, culminating in the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, as a natural sequence, It would not only be a fascinating presentation of the answer to the too often heard remark of “why a new religion,” but a convincing one.
For the weekend there were over a hundred friends of eight different countries, and about eight sympathizers, some of whom are very near their declaration.
There was a spirit of love and harmony, with no misunderstandings and criticism. The opening inspirational words of the Hands of the Cause and the message of hope of our national assembly, that every one present “will have had so deep an impression of love and unity, that they will sincerely and joyfully share this spiritual experience and uplift with all the friends who were not privileged to take part in the school” had sunk into our hearts. Then came to me the realization that perhaps at last we were growing up, and getting ever nearer to our goal of spiritual maturity and making a little progress along the Path of the Seven Valleys.
—MAUD BOSIO
Tucson Bahá’ís Conduct First Service at Newly-Erected All-Faiths Chapel[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Tucson, Ariz., were distinctly honored to have been invited to conduct, on November 8, the first service to be held in the newly-erected chapel in Tucson by Love-Truth Union Chapel, Inc., established “to teach the fundamental Divine truths which are common to all great religions . . . and to promote and sponsor world peace and the brotherhood of man.” The subject of the service was “Love.”
Following a brief introductory talk on the Faith by Theodore A. Dodge, chairman of the local spiritual assembly, five Bahá’í readers read from the Hindu writings, the Old and New Testaments, the Qu’rán, and the Bahá’í sacred scriptures. About seventy persons were present.
Commenting on this program afterwards in the weekly newsletter of the First Congregational Church, the assistant pastor, Dr. James E. Robinson, said: “As I sat there and listened to the scriptural readings . . . I realized how long and prolonged has been man’s search for knowledge and understanding of the universe, and by what devious ways he has wandered in his sincere attempt to learn the ways of the Creator . . A Personally, I feel it is both inspiring and humiliating to realize that God has chosen so many avenues of revelation, that no creed or doctrine, no race or religion is
Italo-Swiss Bahá’í Summer School, held at Bea:-les-Bains, Switzerland,
on September 18 to 26, 1959.
absolute, or complete in its presentation of Divine love and truth. I may be accused of heresy. but I prefer to believe that we are all partners in that onward march of progress toward that goal of human striving and Divine purpose expressed so well in the Old Testament phrase, ‘What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly before thy God.’ ”
A week later Dr. Robinson, who had once visited the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette and possesses some Bahá’í literature, spoke on the Bahá’í Faith at a meeting of forty members of his adult Bible class. He asked if anyone present could assist him with the pronunciation of the Persian names. When Mrs. Della Nichols, a Tucson Bahá’í, volunteered, he asked her to introduce herself and referred many questions to her. Afterwards many individuals asked Mrs. Nichols questions about the Faith, and Dr. Robinson expressed his appreciation to her for attending and helping him with the class.
The report from Tucson says: “Thus in responding to one invitation other opportunities were opened to us for spreading the Bahá’í message. It is interesting to note how often others are doing the work for us.”
Ninety-Five Bahá’ís, Contacts Participate in Bahá’í Summer School of France[edit]
The Bahá’í Summer School for France was held from August 29 to September 3, 1959, at Beaulieu, a beautiful, small town on the Mediterranean, equidistant from Nice and Monte Carlo.
We were honored to have with us, during these five days, Hand of the Cause Dr. Hermann Grossmann, as well as Miss Jessie Revell, member of the International Bahá’í Council at Haifa, for two days.
A total of ninety-five persons attended the school, coming from sixteen centers in France, and from eleven countries. Bahá’ís from Nice and Monte Carlo
The five Bahá’ís who conducted the first service to be
held at the Love-Truth Union Chapel in Tucson, Ariz.,
with Elmer A. Staggs, far right, director of the chapel.
brought their contacts to many sessions; in fact, there
were always non-Bahá’ís in attendance.
Sixteen non-Bahá’ís participated in the activities, many of them coming every day. Two persons asked to make their declarations during the school, and they were welcomed into the Faith. We were particularly happy because one of these persons lives in the Basque country, although he is not Basque. Teaching the Basques is one of the goals of the Ten-Year Crusade.
The other new believer is an elderly lady who lives in an isolated village high in the mountains. She was given the Bahá’í Message first by a believer whose wife was given a Bahá’í ring by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1912.
Many of the friends voiced the feeling that they had been greatly strengthened and refreshed by having attended the school, and that it was the best school we have had in France.
—SARA W. KENNY
Bahá’í Summer School of France, held at Beaulieu from August 29 to September 3, 1959.
Hand of the Cause Dr. Hermann Grossmann is seated in the front row center.
Bahá’í Message Given to Newly-Formed Non-Sectarian Society in Modesto[edit]
A newly formed non-sectarian, moral, ethical, and inspirational society of Modesto, Calif., known as the “Universal Advocates of the Good Life,” requested a Bahá’í speaker for its monthly meeting on Sunday, November 1. Mrs. La Vida Cortez, chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Stockton, honored this request with a very effective presentation of the history and principles of the Bahá’í Faith in the brief fifteen minutes allocated to her on the program.
The message was well received by the audience of twelve people hearing of it for the first time, and a great deal of interest to learn more of the Faith was stimulated amongst this group.
The primary speaker of the day. Dr. Fred C Beyer, county superintendent of schools of Stanislaus County, complimented Mrs. Cortez on her manner of presentation of the Bahá’í Message, and expressed a desire to know more about these teachings. He interwove many of the points she presented where they appropriately fit into his topic, “Moral and Spiritual Education in the Schools.”
Following the program refreshments were served, and at that time the five Bahá’ís present circulated among the group answering many questions; a nearly complete set of sample pamphlets was distributed from “Bahá’í World Faith—Literature Portfolio.” Within a few days a letter was received from the chairman of the Universal Advocates asking for additional copies of pamphlets, and he mentioned that there has been much discussion about the Bahá’í Faith.
Hand of Cause Agnes Alexander Visits Germany[edit]
It was a very happy event for the German Bahá’ís to be visited by Miss Agnes Alexander, revered Hand of the Cause, on her way from Japan via Hawaii. the United States, England, and France to the Holy Land. From Sept. 29 to Oct. 10 she met the Bahá’ís of several German towns, Stuttgart, Esslingen, Frankfurt, Bonn, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg. She also attended a very important national teaching conference at Frankfurt-Main and gave an interesting report of her teaching work as a pioneer.
Top right: Bahá’ís and friends of Tourane, Central
Vietnam, outside the Bahá’í Center following thei1
public meeting.
Bottom right: A portion of the audience of nearly seventy Bahá’ís and friends who attended the observance at Nha-Be, South Vietnam.
Below: Tainan, Taiwan, Bahá’ís and friends who attended the anniversary program in the Bahá’í Center.
What if the Books Were Not There?[edit]
A newly enrolled Bahá’í has related this story to the U.S. National Bahá’í Library Service Committee:
This young woman (we will call her Miss Dee) had been born into one of the Christian sects. When she reached early maturity she began to search for truth in other teachings and finally found what she considered “a pearl of great price.”
Because she is an avid reader, Miss Dee haunts the section of libraries where religious and philosophical works are found‘ One day she happened upon a Bahá’í book, and was struck by what she considered sentences lifted from Christian Science works. She began to read, and eventually felt the urge to investigate. The next step was to seek out a meeting. A public notice brought her to a Bahá’í gathering. When she arrived she found only Negroes present, and because she is a Caucasian she was frightened. However, the pull was so strong that she overcame her impulse to take flight, and after a while some others of her race arrived.
There is more to the story of how she became a Bahá’í, but the point is: What if the books had not been there? Fortunately she found them on the open shelves in a small city where there is a new Bahá’í community. Later she went to the much larger library in a large city where the Bahá’í community has been in existence a long time, and here she found an entirely different situation. There were no Bahá’í books on open shelves and when she asked for some was told that there were some in storage vaults. She did not know the names of any, so she just asked the attendant to bring three or four. “The ones he brought,” she said, “were very old and queer-looking.”
What does this story point up? First, what if the Bahá’í books were not there to attract and awaken the interest of this receptive soul? Second, are the Bahá’í communities and groups overlooking the great importance of keeping current Bahá’í books on the library shelves so that others like Miss Dee may also chance upon them? Do the believers themselves take the books out of the library from time to time and thus keep them in circulation and on the open shelves, or are they relegated to the storage vaults where they serve no useful purpose in the homefront teaching campaign?
Let us remember that our public libraries are maintained for individuals who read and investigate, and that often those who see publicity or announcements about any unknown organization or program go to the library to learn something about it. Thus the public library frequently becomes the seeker’s first means of contact with the Bahá’í Faith and the truth for which he has been searching.
An unusual Bahá’í meeting was held on a cargo-passenger ship in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, on October
4, 1959. The captain of the vessel, Dr. Hasan-Ali Kamran, a member of the Antwerp Bahá’í Assembly, was
host to this group of Bahá’í's from Antwerp and
Brussels.
The Altar of Baha’i Sacrifice[edit]
“Were they, every moment of their lives, to offer up themselves as a sacrifice in Thy path, they would still have done but little in comparison with the manifold bestowals vouchsafed unto them by Thee.”
—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
“I am come into this world to bear witness to the glory of sacrifice.”
“Pray to God that He may graciously enable them to walk securely in that path which is finer than a hair and keener than a sword.”
—THE BÁB
“Do not seek rest during night and day and sit not tranquil for a minute. Bring these glad-tidings to the hearing of mankind with the utmost exertion, and accept every calamity and affliction in your love for God and reliance on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Endure the censure of enemies and bear the reproaches of the people of oppression with patience. Follow the example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and at every moment wish to offer yourselves in the path of the Beauty of Abhá. Shine ye like unto the sun and roar and move like unto the sea: impart life to mountain and desert like unto clouds. and similar to the vernal breeze, bestow freshness. grace and elegance on the trees of human temples.”
—‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
“Let them resolve, instantly and unhesitatingly. to place, each according to his circumstances, his share on the altar of Bahá’í sacrifice, lest, on a sudden. unforeseen calamities rob them of a considerable portion of the earthly things they have amassed.”
—SHOGHI EFFENDI
(From Prayers and Meditations, The Dawn-Breakers, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and BAHÁ’Í NEWS.)
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Portimão , Portugal, formed on April 21, 1959. Front Row: Ermelinde Correia, Lydia Boucas, Maria Rosa Perreira, and Ernestine Serrano. Back Row: Armando Boucas, Francisco Lopez, Isabel Lopez, Jose Perreira,
and Julião Serrano.
Know Your Baha’i Literature[edit]
“Prayers and Meditations”
Communion with God, wherein the Prophet bares His inmost thoughts, torments, supplications, and praise in majestic cadence, is enshrined in Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh to a degree unsurpassed by any other literature.
These meditations range from the depths of despair and lamentation (Where are the rain,-giving clouds of Thy mercy? . . . where is the spring-time of Thy gifts and bounties? . . . where are the winds of Thy grace and favors? . . . where is the globe of Thy graciousness and protection?) to the pinnacle of selfless spiritual ecstasy (Praised by Thou, O Lord my God! Every time I am reminded of Thee and muse on Thy virtues, I am seized with such ecstasies and am so enravished by Thee that I find myself unable to make mention of Thy name and to extoll Thee).
Several attractive displays, featuring a model of the Australian Bahá’í House of Worship now being constructed near Sydney, have been exhibited in Adelaide. Left: Mr. F. Langley’s display window in Torrens Road. Right: South Australian Public Library.
Bahá’u’lláh speaks from these pages in two voices:
sometimes in complete humility as the most humble
of men, and at other times in the Person embodying
the quintessence of God’s sublime power—both in keeping with the dual nature of His station as God’s
Manifestation for this Day.
Here also we will find supplications for mercy and forgiveness, for healing, for spiritual growth, for blessings and bounties; there is no condition of human existence that will not find expression in the Blessed Beauty’s words. Bahá’u’lláh lived for all men, and as we attain empathy with Him through His words, we progress through the worlds of God. To know these meditations and prayers is to be enrobed with the mantle of Divine protection and love.
Prayers and Meditations is available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, clothbound, 347 pages, at $3.00.
Manhattan Beach Bahá’í Publicity Stimulated By Activities With Ministerial Association[edit]
Through sending representatives to attend breakfast meetings of the local Ministerial Association, which has control of most religious participation in festivals and in the Religious Emphasis Week in the public schools, the Bahá’ís of Manhattan Beach, Calif., community have been included in the various Ministerial Association activities.
As a result the community is receiving more publicity
from the local newspapers and through the local Cham[Page 8]
ber of Commerce, and items are published in some of
the church newsletters whenever they are of a nature
that might interest the members of the church. These
newsletter items usually include announcement of any
special studies being undertaken by the Bahá’í community, such as UN, Comparative Religions, Educational and Health Problems, etc.
The local Bahá’ís take their turn in serving the breakfast at the breakfast meetings, which usually include about thirty ministers.
Indian Service Committee Appeals for Support of Teaching Efforts at Three U. S. Locations[edit]
This notice is directed to those Bahá’ís who are free to move from their present residence without jeopardizing their assembly status, and who have a keen desire to undertake a unique pioneering venture. The American Indian Service Committee is now giving top priority to three localities where teaching efforts, already valiantly under way, need the support of additional dedicated pioneers for the remaining years of the Crusade. These are: Cherokee, North Carolina; Aitken, Minnesota, near Chippewa Indian reservations; and at Hotevilla on a Hopi mesa in northern Arizona. (See BAHÁ’Í NEWS for December 1959.)
Living conditions vary greatly in these three locations, but all require a truly Bahá’í attitude towards
Naw-Ruz[edit]
March 21, 1960[edit]
A Special Event for Proclaiming the Bahá’í Faith to the Public[edit]
Sponsored by the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly
Theme:
The Renewal of Religion
Suggested Publicity Materials:
Press Release from Bahá’í Press Service
Lord of the New Age 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.
service and teaching, are vital to the accomplishment of our task, and promise rich spiritual rewards. This Committee is eager to share details with Bahá’ís having a deep interest in these pioneering opportunities, and urges immediate response. Write Mrs. Nancy Phillips, secy.; 736 Encanto Drive, S.E.; Phoenix, Ariz.
Bahá’í-UN Day Publicity Shows Increase[edit]
Publicity and advertising on Bahá’í observances of United Nations Day showed an increase over last year of over 55% in the number of papers and cities participating, over 37% in column inches of space, and approximately 30% in circulation, This publicity and advertising appeared in 99 cities and 139 papers, using 1,148 column inches with a circulation or potential readership or 8,520,000.
Correction[edit]
In September BAHÁ’Í NEWS, page 11, a report on Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel’s Visits to Finland and Sweden was entitled “Dr. Grossmann Speaks on Faith In Many Towns of Finland, Sweden.” It should have been headed, “Dr. Mühlschlegel speaks on Faith,” etc. This error is corrected with an expression of sincere regret to Dr. Mühlschlegel, Hand of the Cause.
Calendar of Events[edit]
FEASTS[edit]
January 19 — Sulṭán (Sovereignty)
February 7 — Mulk (Dominion)
WORLD RELIGION DAY[edit]
January 17— “Human Rights—Justice For All”
U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS[edit]
February 12, 13, 14
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
Visiting Hours[edit]
Weekdays
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
Sundays and Holidays
10:30 am. to 5:00 p.m. (Entire building)
Service of Worship[edit]
Sundays
3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.
Reports, plans, news items, and photographs of general interest are requested from national committees and local assemblies of the United 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 or 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: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
