Bahá’í News/Issue 351/Text
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| No. 351 | BAHA’I YEAR | MAY, 1960 |
The Spark Is Becoming a Flame
The following paragraphs from a letter dated March 31, 1960 from the Hands of the Cause in the Western Hemisphere, addressed to all the National Spiritual Assemblies in the Western Hemisphere and to the members of the Auxiliary Boards in the Western Hemisphere are here being shared with all the believers everywhere who are contributing, by one means or another, to that flame, that “final surge” of effort, devotion and service which is destined to reveal in the days immediately ahead the “signs of His dominion” throughout the world.
“Beloved Co-workers:
You will be delighted to hear of additional manifestations of the growing spirit of teaching throughout the Bahá’í world, This spark is becoming a flame, and soon, through the concerted and loving efforts of all the friends, it will, with the help of Bahá’u’lláh, become a blaze.
“One hundred new believers have come into the Faith in Nepal, India. This is unprecedented. India has been in a state of inactivity, with one of the most challenging home fronts. During this past year, like Alaska, they have had a greater increase than that in any year since the Crusade began.
“Africa reports an ever increasing number of new believers, more than in any single year in the history of the Faith on that continent—a continent which has already blazed such a glorious path.
“Southeast Asia and the South Pacific are exerting every effort to maintain this pace with Africa, and, as the beloved Guardian urged them, to vie with Africa for the palm of victory in bringing new believers into the Faith.
“Jamaica will have more than the basic number of local assemblies needed for their national assembly. Brazil has also won victories over and above the number needed. Guatemala has acquired her Temple land.”
“Surely these are the days of which the beloved Guardian spoke when he wrote to the Western Hemisphere, saying: ‘The opportunity that presents itself at this crucial hour is precious beyond expression. The blessings destined to flow from a victory so near at hand are rich beyond example. One final surge of that indomitable spirit . . . is all that is required . . . to release the flow of these blessings . . .’
“May Bahá’u’lláh watch over us, sustain us, guide us, and make us worthy of so priceless and so great a privilege.
“With warmest Bahá’í love,
HANDS OF THE FAITH IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.”
Hands of Faith in Western Hemisphere Commend Pioneers in Goal Cities[edit]
The Hands of the Faith in the Western Hemisphere, addressing the believers in the goal cities in North, Central and South America and the Greater Antilles on February 17, 1960, reported that at that time sixteen of the 21 Latin American countries were assured of their required number of local assemblies for this Riḍván and that the remaining five were rapidly closing in on the victory. They also stated that a new spirit of progress in the United States and Canada was holding out promise of news that “would let the world know that Bahá’u’lláh’s soldiers are on the march!”
Expressing their warmest love and deepest gratitude to all those laboring in those cities for the Faith, they wrote:
“Bahá’u’lláh has written: ‘Verily, we behold you from Our Realm of Effulgent Glory and shall graciously aid whosoever ariseth for the Triumph of Our Cause with the Hosts of the Celestial Concourse and a company of Our chosen angels.’
“Our beloved Guardian told us that the Supreme Concourse was hovering between heaven and earth looking for instruments through which it could work and win the victory. We can become those instruments. We need only tum to Bahá’u’lláh’s saying, ‘Here am I. Use me as You will.’
“This is the spirit which will overcome every obstacle, and will make each group become a magnet to attract those souls who are waiting to be attracted.”
Bahá’ís of Australia hope to place a 16-foot lantern into
position on top of dome of the Temple at Sydney during
their convention.
With Effort, Success Can Be Yours[edit]
“How can I find and attract receptive souls” is one of the questions most frequently asked by Bahá’ís who wish to see the Faith grow in their community and state. To an American believer who asked this question of Shoghi Effendi, the beloved Guardian replied through his secretary just six months before his passing:
“Teaching the Faith is not conditioned by what occupation we have, or how great our knowledge is, but rather on how much we have studied the Teachings, to what degree we live the Bahá’í life, and how much we long to share this Message with others. When we have these characteristics, we are sure, if we search, to find receptive souls.
“You should persevere and be confident that, with effort, success can be yours.”
To study, to live the life, and to want to share our great teachings with others—herein lies the secret of all our teaching work, whether on the home front or in far away places.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
In Memory of Jean Silver[edit]
As we read of the glorious victories that are increasing day by day for our beloved Faith in Latin America our hearts are filled with loving gratitude to the early pioneers who sowed the seeds for the present harvest during the first and second Seven Year Plans. Among them was Jean Silver who pioneered in Cuba during the second Seven Year Plan.
When notified of Miss Silver’s death in Lynn, Mass., August 14, 1959, the Hands of the Faith residing in the Holy Land cabled: “Assure prayers (at) Shrines (for) progress (of the) soul (of) Jean Silver, devoted servant (of the) Faith (in) teaching (in) pioneer fields.”
Farrukh Ioas Passes to Abbá Kingdom[edit]
Devoted pioneer Farrukh Ioas passed on in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1960, several weeks after returning from her last pioneer post in Florence, Italy.
The Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land cabled the following message to the US. National Assembly in praise of her service: “Deeply regret (the) passing (of) Farrukh Ioas. (Her) devoted services (in) course (of) two Seven-Year Plans (and) World Crusade will long be remembered (in) history (of) American believers (for) prosecution (of) Divine Plan. Assure parents (of our) deepest sympathy (and) prayers (at) Holy Shrines.”
U.S. Visit of Singapore Bahá’í Brings Widespread Publicity[edit]
Excellent feature articles on the occasion of the visit of Mrs. Shirirl Fozdar of Singapore to San Francisco, Calif, on March 23 brought the principles of the Bahá’í Faith as well as the work of Mrs. Fozdar herself to the notice of a half million readers of that city’s three large daily newspapers.
Hailed as a “feminist from Singapore,” “Asian pacifist and militant battler for women’s rights,” “a neatly balanced combination of the militant feminist and peaceful follower of Bahá’í,” and “founder of the Singapore Council of Women and secretary of the Bahá’í Assembly,” the reporters paid high tribute to Mrs. Fozdar’s work in connection with securing the enactment of measures for tightening up marriage laws and protecting women against easy divorce in Singapore, a system which Mrs. Fozdar says is urgently needed in all of Malaya where more than sixty per cent of the women are divorced and left penniless.
Mrs. Fozdar, who is chairman of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Southeast Asia, came to the United States at the invitation of the United States Department of State under a program planned by the American Council of Education to study race relations in this country. Following a visit to Australia and New Zealand, she came first to Los Angeles by way of Honolulu, arriving late on March 20. She was taken immediately to radio station KFMU where she was interviewed during the half hour preceding midnight by Tony Lease on his “Lease on Life” program, giving interesting answers to many questions concerning the Bahá’í Faith.
The following morning a press conference with Mrs.
Fozdar in the Bahá’í Center was attended by representatives of eleven newspapers and several radio and TV[Page 3]
reporters and three TV movie photographers. After
this conference she was interviewed by Jack Linkletter
on his TV program “On the Go,” a coast-to-coast CBS
network program shown on 157 stations.
On Monday evening, March 21. Mrs. Fozdar addressed a public meeting of 275 persons on the subject of “World Government,” and from 11:30 P.M. to midnight she was interviewed with two other persons on the KFI program, “Conversation Please.”
On March 22 the Los Angeles Times carried a story by Mary Ann Callan, mainly about Mrs. Fozdar’s activities on behalf of women’s rights.
The following morning in San Francisco, Mrs. Fozdar was interviewed at her hotel by three women editors with the results mentioned at the beginning of this report. Shortly after noon she had nearly a half-hour radio interview with Jack Hardy of KSAN during which there were many references to the Faith.
The public meeting the same evening drew an audience oi approximately 150 when Mrs. Fozdar spoke on “Peace Through Religion." The local Spiritual Assembly reported that this was “a masterful presentation of the terrific dangers confronting humanity" and the healing Message revealed by Bahá’u’lláh.
Although the audience was not as large as the Bahá’ís hoped for, the thousand invitations mailed throughout Northern California gave much added publicity to the Faith and to Mrs. Fozdar as one of its devoted exponents.
From San Francisco Mrs. Fozdar flew to Chicago for a brief visit before proceeding to Washington, D.C., to take up her program with the American Council of Education. On the evening of March 25 she addressed a meeting of approximately 100 in the Chicago Bahá’í Center on “The Way to Peace.” Advance publicity had been arranged and notices appeared in four principal Chicago newspapers.
The evening preceding her public address Mrs. Fozdar was a guest at a large formal dinner sponsored by the United World Federalists, thus affording her the opportunity of meeting others of similar interests.
The study program planned for Mrs. Fozdar will take her also to Little Rock, Ark., Oberlin, Ohio, and New York, N.Y. She will leave the United States early in May.
89th Assembly Incorporates in U.S.[edit]
The Local Spiritual Assembly of San Antonio, Texas, is the eighty-ninth local assembly to have become incorporated in the United States. Its incorporation documents were signed by the Secretary of State on January 18, 1960.
The November, 1959, meeting of the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land, with the Mansion of Bahjí in background.
Dedication of African Temple August 20-21[edit]
The following letter has been received by the National Assembly of the U.S. from the National Assembly of Central and East Africa:
“We have the greatest joy in writing to you to advise you that August 20-21 has been set as the date for the dedication of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Africa, and that the dedication ceremony would be performed by our revered and beloved ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum supported by the revered Hands of the Cause in Africa.
“It would be a great joy to all of us in Africa, if your Assembly could bring this notice to the attention of the friends in your area, so that they may share with us our joy and happiness at this wonderful news. Also it may be possible for some of the friends to join us in person on this historic occasion. Detailed plans have not been formulated, but further communications will be sent to you after our next National Assembly meeting, which will be held on March 25.
“Please pray with us for the removal of all obstacles so that this great day may be fulfilled without any delay, thereby bringing great joy and happiness to our dearly beloved Guardian’s heart.”
BAHÁ’Í NEWS will publish more detailed information as soon as it is available.
Swift Progress in French Africa and Congo[edit]
In cooperation with both the National Assembly and the French Territories Committee, Ali Nakhjavani recently spent a month travelling in Ruanda Urundi, the Belgian Congo and French Equatorial Africa. The purpose of his trip was two-fold, First, he was to do everything possible to aid and stimulate the believers and communities throughout this vast area in the vital work of mass conversion. Second, he was to try to push forward the task of obtaining “personalite civile” (incorporation) for the communities in both the Belgian and French territories. His report is thrilling in the news it contains of the great strides being taken in both the teaching work and towards incorporation
Newly completed house for caretaker near Kampala
Temple.
Bahá’í Temple at Kampala, Uganda, Africa, nearing
completion.
Ruanda Urundi[edit]
Ali spent ten days in Usumbura, where the friends have been five and a half years without a resident pioneer. He found the believers strong and eager to serve, also very anxious to obtain legal recognition. In addition to their usual activities, the Usumbura friends have started extremely successful extension teaching work in a number of villages on the borders of the Belgian Congo. They have also appointed a special committee for Bahá’í women and their contacts.
Belgian Congo[edit]
There are now well over 100 believers in six villages
in the Fizi and Uvira districts of the extreme eastern
Belgian Congo. A dozen neighboring localities have
contacts. Ten months ago Albert Kitoko (himself only
a Contact at the time) started the teaching work in
this area during his frequent visits as a trader. Soon[Page 5]
he declared himself and asked the Usumbura Bahá’ís
of Ruanda Urundi to help him.
French Equatorial Africa[edit]
This territory is no longer one country. It has become four separate republics within the French community —Congo, Gabon, Tchad, and Centrafricaine. In Bangui, capital of Centrafricaine, Ali spent four days with the group of six believers taught recently by believers from the British Cameroons. When they mentioned that they had no literature in their own language, Sango, Ali formed them into a committee and helped them to produce the first pamphlet in Sango, which was immediately typed and duplicated in 250 copies.
In Brazzaville, Ali held three meetings with the friends. They told of their persecutions, confiscation of their books and final prescription of the Faith. Now with the new government they hope to regain freedom to teach.
Bahá’ís and their contacts in Wabembe, Belgian Congo,
recently introduced to the Faith by believers of Usumbura, Ruanda Urundi.
In both the French and Belgian territories, Ali had
very fruitful interviews with the legal advisors and
in the Congo with government officials on the subject
of incorporation.
Ali visited these new village communities for three days, sleeping in the homes of the friends. Some of the contacts had walked twenty miles to meet him. 350 people gathered under the shelter of a long shed especially erected by the Bahá’ís for the meetings. Three such large gatherings took place during Ali’s visit with several smaller meetings lasting deep into the night. Questions flowed freely.
These new Congo Bahá’ís are making efforts, through the Parish Council, to obtain permission to acquire a piece of land on which to erect a Bahá’í Center. The Council has indicated that it would grant permission for the use of the 4,000 metres (almost one acre), requested by the believers, for Bahá’í purposes. A number of the friends have said that they will build their homes in the neighborhood of the Center when it is erected.
The Usumbura Community has established an Extension Teaching Committee for the Congo villages, composed of three of the Usumbura friends and six of the most enthusiastic new Congo believers. Each month a small group of the Congo believers are brought to Usumbura for a special training course lasting one week. Ali held one such course for four days attended by six of the Congo friends. The main purpose of the course was to train the new Bahá’ís in the technique of giving such training courses in their own communities.
In Leopoldville in the western Congo, there is a group of seven Bahá’ís. Ali held two meetings with them and their contacts. These believers show determination to follow the example of their western compatriots.
—CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA BAHÁ’Í GAZETTE
Temporary structure given for use as a local Bahá’í
Center by newly declared Bahá’ís of Wabembe, Belgian
Congo.
Youth Tell Pioneering Story with Music and Song[edit]
At the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center, on February 20, the Southwestern Area Youth Committee presented “Song of the World,” a two-act production directed by Marc Towers. The musical score, “Song of the World,“ was written by Russ Garcia, with lyrics by Marc Towers. Quotations from Bahá’í writings, reading of letters from pioneers, as well as skits and songs were included—all done with the background of music. Through it the audience was taken on the wings of song around the world—to Burma, France, South America, Alaska, the South Pacific, Italy, Austria, Africa, England and back to the home front.
As the young girl says in the beginning of the script, “Our bodies grow . . . our intellect grows . . . but our agendas stay the same . . . Please, sir, give us something new . . .” And the Southwest Area Youth did just that! A most ambitious undertaking, it was much enjoyed by those who participated and by those who came to watch.
Salisbury Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds Center of Many Activities
Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia situated on a four and one half acre tract in the suburb of
Waterfalls.
Outside the city limits of Salisbury, Southern
Rhodesia, in a suburb called Waterfalls, the Bahá’ís
of Salisbury have established their Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds
which was purchased in November, 1958, for £3,250,
with assistance from the National Spiritual Assembly
of South and West Africa.
This visible symbol of a steadily growing community stands on four and a half acres of ground, and consists of a large house, originally of ten rooms, two of these having been converted into one large room to seat fifty people. Half of the house will eventually have a library, reading room and an office. The other half is the living quarters of Genevieve Coy, whose years of service at Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, are well known and remembered.
Near the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds there stands a three-room cottage which is occupied by an African Bahá’í couple who care for the rooms at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and supervise the work on the grounds. Attached to the cottage is a fourth room, Here the children's class meets twice a month, and it is also used as a dormitory for students coming from a distance to study the Faith.
At the back of the property there is another building with two rooms for the servants. Only one room is in use at present, by a garden boy. With a number of fruit trees, and a large vegetable garden, there is an opportunity for income for the upkeep of the property.
Activity at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds includes deepening classes for Bahá’ís sponsored by the Salisbury City Assembly, conferences planned and held by the Area Teaching Committee, and other meetings for all the friends from the surrounding areas to come and hear speakers arriving from a distance.
Africa Pioneer Founds Interracial Kindergarten
For the first time in the history of Kampala, Uganda, a completely interracial kindergarten has been started. The enterprizing founder of this unique project, opened last May, is Miss Claire Gung, the very first pioneer to set sail for Africa in 1951 when the British National Spiritual Assembly inaugurated the African campaign. Twenty-five years experience as a children’s governess and kindergarten teacher, together with nine years residence in Africa, give Claire excellent qualifications for her new work which she speaks of as her service to Bahá’u’lláh. A true service to our Faith, indeed, is this wonderful kindergarten; for in it children of all racial backgrounds (African, Indian, Chinese, Goan, British), religious communities (Christian, Moslem, Sikh, and Hindu), and languages are meeting, learning and playing together.
Claire Gung with her Bonita Bahá’í kindergarten of children
from many racial and religious backgrounds.
The school is in Claire’s own home. It is beautifully equipped with brightly colored tables and chairs, blackboards, books, toys, paints, and modelling clay indoors, and with a large sandbox, slide, swing, and see-saw in the grassy playground which is her treeshaded and fenced front garden. Every person who passes her home is taught a lesson in unity just by observing her children at play together. Forty children now attend the kindergarten.
“Auntie Claire” is widely known as a Bahá’í, and her selfless service to the children of Kampala has won her much praise, an article in the newspaper, and the enrollment of the Kabaka (King) of Buganda’s children in her school. Not only are the children of her school drawn closer together by the bonds of friendship and love, but their parents are strengthened in the belief that the peoples of the world can truly be united. Claire has shown the people of Kampala that Bahá’ís practice in their lives the unity which their Faith teaches.
Bahá’í Group of Moroni, Comoro Islands, of east coast
of Africa.
Central and East Africa Shows Continuous Growth[edit]
The rapid spread of the Faith in Central and East Africa has been revealed by a statistical report received from the National Spiritual Assembly of that area prepared in March of this year. In the nine territories which comprise this national Bahá’í community there are now 731 localities where Bahá’ís reside, including 238 having local spiritual assemblies and 262 with Bahá’í groups. The number of registered believers has almost reached 11,000.
Bahá’ís gathered at Kampala Temple in Africa for
District Convention, February 1960.
Bahá’ís attending teacher training course at Bakedi,
Uganda.
New Publication Dramatizes Story of Historic Teaching Plans[edit]
The Ten-Year Crusade: Seven Thousand Years in Retrospect, by Allan Ward, published by the Bahá’í
Publishing Trust of the United States, is a dramatic
sketch written primarily to enable every Bahá’í, but
particularly those enrolled since the beginning of the
Guardian’s Ten-Year Plan, to understand this World
Crusade and its relation to the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as revealed in His Tablets to America more than
forty years ago. It is a stirring call to every individual
believer to arise and fulfil his own spiritual destiny
by insuring, through every means in his power, the
remaining goals of the World Crusade prerequisite to[Page 8]
the formation of the Universal House of Justice.
The introduction to this publication suggests effective methods for study of the material not only by Bahá’í groups but also in presenting the subject of the World Crusade to those who are close to the Faith. It is suitable also for dramatic presentation at youth conferences, area teaching conferences and at Bahá’í summer schools.
The supplementary reading list includes titles of additional publications helpful to Bahá’ís in increasing their own understanding of the great drama of the World Crusade and as a basis for follow-up discussions of the sketch.
Sample copies of this publication have been sent to the local spiritual assemblies and the area teaching committees of the United States. Additional copies are available. See Bahá’í Publishing Trust section in this issue.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
South Pacific Inaugurates Two New Summer Schools[edit]
Two South Pacific island areas launched their first summer school sessions in December, 1950. The school in Fiji was held December 17 to December 22 with fourteen adults and thirteen children taking part, and thirty-one were attracted to the classes in Tonga running from December 27 to 29. A second annual Bahá’í Summer School took place at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, Apia, Western Samoa, from January 1 to January 3, 1960, twenty-five adults and twenty-five children attending.
On the eve of the Fijian school, the islanders were shaken by a wave of rioting. So grave was the situa-
Newly enrolled Bahá’ís in American Samoa, with pioneers Suhayl and Lilian Ala’i, who opened American
Samoa early in 1959 by going to Pago Pago. They have
enrolled believers in three Groups and have high hopes
of establishing Assemblies.
Second Annual Bahá’í Summer School in Samoa, January 1 to 3, 1960, held at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Apia,
Western Samoa.
tion that originally it was planned to abandon the
school until the trouble subsided. but fortunately the
difficulty was short-lived, and the school plans were
delayed only one day as a result of it. To reach the
school, the friends took a bus fifty-five miles to Naboutini Village, and from there went by canoe to the
area named Lomalagi, which is Fijian for heaven. It
is situated in a pocket between the hills along the
coast. Here half a dozen “bures,” or grass huts,
nestled against the hills, with a neat lawn in front and
a border of glistening sand. Here those attending the
school were in a world of their own, cradled by two
hills and looking out on the crystal waters of a lagoon.
Isireli Racule was chairman for the school and Mr. Phil was secretary. Morning devotions were inspired by the keenness of the children in sharing the prayers and lessons learned at their Sunday school classes. Sessions were devoted to a study of the messages received from the Hands of the Cause during the year. Mrs. Azinab Khan led discussion on a study of Islám.
Intensive Teaching Preparation for Tongan School[edit]
Many weeks of intensive study were put into the preparation of the courses by the teachers at the Tongan Summer School held in a small hall in Nuku’alofa. Devotions began at 9 a.m. with prayers in Tongan. Workshop courses were carried out in the election of a local assembly and the appointment of committees. Simultaneous classes for those not yet Bahá’ís included discussion on “Prophecies of the Second Coming of Christ,” and on “The Covenant” Afternoon sessions were on the Tablets to the Kings with all students participating. Evenings were devoted to music, showing slides of the Bahá’í World Center, the Wilmette Temple, International Conferences and other views of international interest.
Samoan Concentrates on Four-Year Plan[edit]
Bahá’ís from both Western and American Samoa
studied reports on teaching efforts in the different
villages and discussed ways of establishing three more
assemblies by Riḍván, all a part of the Four-Year
Plan that they have underway The Ten-Year Crusade,
and the proclamation of the Hands of the Cause re[Page 9]
garding the establishment of the Universal House of
Justice were the larger goals emphasized, of which
the Four-Year Plan plays a part.
Free time was devoted to painting the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and other maintenance work sessions, Through such loving cooperation much was achieved A children’s class brought inspiration to the school, and the highlight of the entire session was the declaration of two young men from the village of Nofoali’i, Western Samoa, the result of devoted efforts of the friends of that village.
Fiji Public Welcomes Bahá’í Speaker From Southeast Asia[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Fiji were thrilled when a letter was received from Hand of the Cause, Mr. Collis Featherstone, that Mrs. Shirin Fozdar would stop over in Fiji for a few days on her way from Australia and New Zealand to Honolulu and America on her world tour. For weeks before her scheduled arrival, Word was passed around that a wonderful Indian lady from Singapore would be visiting Fiji, and so the people’s interest and curiosity, as well as the pride of the Indian population in Fiji, was aroused. The newspapers published an article on her as a campaigner for women’s rights in their Saturday women’s page and every copy of this issue was sold out. The Town Hall in Suva was booked for a public meeting, and for a week previous to her visit, press and radio advertising reminded the people and invited them to hear her.
Mrs. Fozdar arrived at Nadi Airport at midnight on Wednesday, March 16. On Thursday she was taken by leading Indian citizens (there being no Bahá’ís at Nadi) to address the students and teachers at two Indian schools. Mrs. Fozdar reported that especially at one of the schools, the boys asked many intelligent questions about the Bahá’í Faith.
On Friday morning she flew to Suva and was taken directly to the Arya Girls School. Here she spoke to the girls on the Bahá’í principles. particularly stressing the role of women in this new age. She spoke in English to the older girls and to the younger girls she spoke in the Hindustani language. Mrs. Fozdar then created what surely must be a record in Fiji by arriving half an hour early for her next appointment at another Indian school, boys and girls mixed. Teachers and students were gathered and Mrs. Fozdar once again spoke on the Bahá’í principles and, in particular, to the girls. The students asked several questions at the end of the discussion.
The highlight of her visit to Fiji, however, was the public meeting on Friday evening. Dr. Gopalan was chairman and the Indian Commissioner in Fiji welcomed her. The hall was crowded and Mrs. Fozdar was radiant in a yellow sari as she eloquently led her audience from the religions of the past to the religion of the future, quoting from all the Holy Books. She was able to bring the proofs of the Bahá’í religion, a brief history of the principal figures, and the new teachings of the Bahá’í Faith before her audience of approximately 300 Hindus, Moslems and Christians. The lecture ended with a question period.
Early the next morning Mrs. Fozdar had a spirited telephone conversation regarding proofs from the Koran with a man who had been present at the lecture. Following this she was interviewed at the local radio station for sessions in both the English and Hindustani women’s programs and then a talk was taped on the Bahá’í Faith for the Indian program. This was the direct result of her lecture the previous evening. Relatives of the radio announcer had been present at the lecture and they had persuaded him to let her talk on any subject she chose for the benefit of those who had not been present at the lecture. This program has since been broadcast enabling the Indian population all over the colony to hear the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
On Saturday she met with the committee members of the Pan Pacific Women’s Association, a multi-racial and multi-religious group of women. To these Mrs. Fozdar spoke of the work of the women in Singapore in uniting together to fight for their rights and how
A Teaching Conference for the Benelux countries held
in Brussels, Belgium, December 14-15, 1959, with Hand
of the Cause, John Ferraby, who appears in center
front.
they had succeeded in influencing the government to legislate for monogamous marriages (which is, of course, a Bahá’í law!).
At the airport before her departure, Mrs. Fozdar spoke of the proofs from the Hindu, the Christian and the Mohammedan Holy Books to the audience which had gathered around her. A Hindu school teacher present remarked that he had learned more in that quarter of an hour about his own religion than he had in all 01 his life.
We were all sad as the plane took her away from us, but proud of what the Bahá’í teachings had been able to do for this lady, and thankful for the new doors she had opened for us, within the short space of the twenty-eight hours she spent with us, to present the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the people of all races and all religions in Fiji.
Bellaire Group Distributes 800 “Man One Family” Through Inter-Faith Workshop[edit]
The following story has come from Mrs. Robert Sparks, J12, a member of the Bellaire Bahá’í group, an “island” community surrounded by Houston, Texas. She writes:
“About two months ago I received a telephone call from a Jewish lady in Bellaire who knew about the Faith because we had once supplied a Bahá’í speaker for her Temple. She was familiar enough with our teachings to know we had unusually high standards on the subject of prejudice, She invited me to attend an Inter-faith Workshop at which about 800 women, white and colored, were expected. She wanted to know if we had a pamphlet on prejudice that could be distributed at this workshop.
“Many pamphlets from all religions were submitted, and I was put on the committee to help select five or six out of a pile of at least a hundred. The committee was composed of a Jew, a Catholic, a Baptist, and a Bahá’í. Our pamphlet Man, One Family was selected
Uruguayan Summer School held in Montevideo, Uruguay, February 13-14, 1960.
Hand of the Cause, Musu Bunani, right center, on occasion of his visit to Cairo, Egypt where he brought the
friends joyful news of the progress of the Faith in many
parts of the world and the imminent completion of the
Bahá’í Temple of Africa in Kampala, Uganda.
primarily on merit and appropriateness. When I said
we would donate the 800 copies, they were impressed,
grateful, and said in effect, ‘If your group is kind enough
to give these, surely some of the larger groups will,
too.’ The committee had been given $65.00 to buy all the
literature. Ours alone would have run about $40.00, but
the committee members never asked how much they
would have cost.
“They liked the cover design so much they had it copied into posters, adding information about the workshop. The selected pamphlets were put in envelopes and one given to every woman attending. Five Bahá’ís were present. We were able to mention the Faith directly to about twenty-five people. My telephone number was on the back of our pamphlet, and the next day I had a call from a man whose wife attended. He saw the pamphlet, liked it and wanted twenty-five copies to send to his friends.
“Many people heard of the Faith for the first time and we think the results were widespread.”
Naw-Rúz Highlights Proclamation in March[edit]
Naw-Rúz was the occasion for the first actual public meeting to have been sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Altadena, Calif., as well as the first public meeting in the recently new and attractive Loma Alta Park Auditorium of that city. All the believers in the San Gabriel Valley cooperated.
Mrs. Florence Mayberry, Member of the Auxiliary Board of the Hands of the Cause in the Western Hemisphere, addressed the audience on “The Renewal of Religion.” Mr. Robert Buckley was chairman.
Good publicity and personal invitations brought out approximately 140 persons. A book display and the distribution of free literature were part of the program. Refreshments served from an attractively decorated table added much to the festivity of the occasion.
Forty persons, representing different races, participated in a fellowship banquet arranged by the Bahá’ís of St. Petersburg, Fla., in celebration of Naw-Rúz.
The first Bahá’í marriage performed in Tuban, East
Java, January 2, 1960, for Ch. Soekandar and Miss Rr.
Moerniati, both of whom have recently become Bahá’ís.
More than 100 guests also heard about the teachings of
the Faith on this occasion, among them several town
officials.
This community also observed Bahá’í World Youth
Day, with ten youth in attendance—five Bahá’ís and
five contacts—represerlting the Negro and the white
races.
In El Paso, Texas, the Naw-Rúz festivities featured a dinner in the home of one of the local believers, with 53 adults and several children participating. The program consisted of discussions, music, and the showing of colored slides of the Holy Land and of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.
This same group held a public meeting in observance of Bahá’í World Youth Day on the evening of March 26 with Amoz Gibson, Member of the Auxiliary Board of the Hands of the Cause, as speaker. The event was publicized in the Juarez Spanish newspaper and in the Texas Western College newspaper and by posters placed on the campus. From both these meetings there have ‘been new contacts and firesides are being carried on in Spanish and English, with a special class for the young people at the college also planned to start in April.
BAHA’I IN THE NEWS[edit]
A book entitled God Loves Laughter has been written by William Sears and published by George Ronald, 5 Barandon Str., London, at $2.00. It is a humorous account of the author’s struggles and achievements in the field of radio and television and particularly of a childhood dream that troubled the writer and eventually found happy fulfillment in finding the Bahá’í Faith.
The News, Mexico, D. F., November 4, 1959, published a story about “Israel: Modern Nation in an ancient Land,” illustrated by a picture of the Shrine of the Báb. The caption reads in part: “The circular, gold dome facing the white building is the shrine of the Bahá’í, a religious sect. Both the shrine and Bahá’í garden are situated on beautiful Mount Carmel, which overlooks the entire city of Haifa.”
This same newspaper on November 11, 1959, in the seotion titled “Tourist Tips” published a PanAmerican Airways photo of the Shrine of the Báb over the caption: “Haifa is Gateway to Israel.” It identifies the structure as “the golden dome of the Bahá’í Temple.”
The latter picture appeared in the travel section of the Sunday Magazine Section of Tulsa World, Tulsa, Okla., December 20, 1959, also in The Times Picayune, New Orleans, La., on the same date.
A textbook on comparative religions, The Religious of the World Made Simple, by John Lewis, refers briefly to “The Bahá’í Movement” as “a rather vague pronouncement of principles of almost universal acceptability” and that “it has its devotees not only in Moslem lands but also in the West.”
The above poster is available to publicize Race Amity
Day programs cm June 12, 1960. It is 14 by 20, printed
in four colors and gold on white paper, with sufficient
spare at bottom for information on public meetings, or
for offering literature. The price is $.50 each, five for
$2.00, mailed third class. Order from Bahá’í Press
Service, 434 Thomas Ave, Rochester 17, N.Y. (Orders
shipped after June 1 may not be returned to Bahá’í
Press Service, should they not arrive on time.)
In her book published in 1955 entitled God Will Work With You But Not For You, Lao Russell makes a number of references to Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’ís. Two of these are as follows: “Another modern mystic who has transformed millions of lives and turned their eyes to the Light of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of a great religious movement known as the Bahá’í Faith.” “The Bahá’í Faith is world wide and its followers give evidence of the inspiring nature of its teaching by their exemplary lives and actions.”
Wilmette Life, Jan. 7, 1960, carries as its cover a full-page picture of the Bahá’í House of Worship in a beautiful setting of snow-covered trees and shrubberry. .
Baha’i Publishing Trust[edit]
The Ten-Year Crusade: Seven Thousand Years in Retrospect[edit]
By Allan Word
A panoramic view of the spiritual development of man beginning with the Adamic age, culminating in the Ten-Year Crusade. This presentation will enable every newly enrolled Bahá’í to quickly comprehend the meaning of the World Crusade as the most urgent stage in the Divine Plan inaugurated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Tablets of the Divine Plan and inspires all Bahá’ís to arise and fulfill their spiritual destiny in the few months that remain. (See article by NSA in this issue.)
8½ x 11 (notebook size) printed on tangerine stock.
Per copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ .50
10 copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3.50
Publish Release The Sun By William Sears[edit]
Release the Sun. By William Sears.(Revised American edition.) This book gives the early history of the Bahá’í Faith up through the hour of the martyrdom of its Herald, the Báb, and also foreshadows the Role that Bahá’u’lláh is to play, and the Station He will occupy as the Manifestation of God for this day.
The author’s own words best describe this work:
“This is an attempt to bring . . . an account of the life of the Báb to the attention of the world. This same story has been set down in everlasting language for the scholar, in Nabil’s Narrative, The Dawn-Breakers, and in God Passes By, written by Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith.
“Release the Sun does not present all of the drama of this epic, nor does it give word for word the exciting stories told during those memorable days. It merely offers a simplified version of a story too long neglected and overlooked by man in his search for peace of mind and satisfaction of soul.”
An extensive appendix offers additional information on Biblical prophecies and many historical events that correlate with the appearance of the Twin Manifestations.
A most appealing jacket design, repeated on the paper cover of the paperbound edition, has been created by William Musler with a mosaic sunburst effect on grey background. Cloth edition bound in sun-gold linen.
Cloth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2.50
Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1.25
Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 110 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill.
University of Colorado Warmly Welcomes Bahá’í Speaker to Campus Events[edit]
Representing the Bahá’í Faith on behalf of the Bahá’í College Bureau on the University of Colorado campus during its Religion in Life Week, February 21-26, John Conkling of Provo, Utah, was given an enthusiastic and warm reception. Besides speaking on the “This I Believe” program, he gave talks on the Faith before two student groups the same evening, and was included in all the luncheons and other special events arranged for the visiting speakers during the entire week.
Calendar of Events[edit]
FEASTS[edit]
May 17—‘Aẓamat (Grandeur)
June 5—Núr (Light)
HOLY DAYS[edit]
May 23—Declaration of the Báb
May 29—Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh
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 in 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: 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.
