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No. 378

BAHA’I YEAR 119

SEPTEMBER, 1962

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International Council Recounts Victories

Dear Friends:

Last autumn, in Europe, there began the two-year-long series of celebrations commemorating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s historic journeys in the western world, a feat acclaimed by Shoghi Effendi as “a service of such heroic proportions that no parallel to it is to be found in the annals of the first Bahá’í century.”

Now it is the turn of the American believers to ‎celebate celebrate‎ this epoch-making voyage. Starting on April 11, the fiftieth anniversary of the Master’s arrival in New York, the City of the Covenant, in 1912, meetings are being held across the entire continent. Just as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went to the West to proclaim the Faith of His Father, so this program of meetings emphasizes that the Promised Day of all Faiths has come and relates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s mission to the subsequent development of the Divine Plan and the formation of the Universal House of Justice in 1963. Already notable results have been forthcoming. Letters and telegrams of greeting and congratulation were received from the governors of the states of Wisconsin and Illinois and the mayors of the cities of Madison and Milwaukee upon the anniversary of the dedication of the Wilmette Temple site by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Fourteen hundred people attended the commemoration meeting.

In those early days ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote: “When the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is completed, when the lights are emanating therefrom, the prayers are performed with supplication toward the Mysterious Kingdom, the voice of glorification is raised to the Lord, the Supreme; then the believers shall rejoice, the hearts be dilated and overflow with the love of the All-living and Self-existent. The people shall hasten to worship in the heavenly Temple, the Fragrance of God will be elevated, the Divine Teachings will be established in the hearts like the establishment of the Spirit in mankind; the people will then stand firm in the Cause of our Lord, the Merciful. Whosoever arises for the service of this building shall be assisted with great power from His Supreme Kingdom and upon him spiritual and heavenly blessings shall descend which shall fill his heart with wonderful consolation and enlighten his eyes by beholding the Glorious and Eternal God.”

Worship Service at the Bahá’í Temple in Wilmette, Illinois.

[Page 2] Now, not from one but from three Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs praises rise to the Lord of mankind, and one more Temple is approaching completion in the heart of the European continent. The twenty-seven ribs of its dome are now in place together with the concrete ring which binds them together at the apex, forming the base of the lantern; the 540 elements of the surface of the dome are being placed in position at a rate of six to eight a day.

Great Achievements Herald Victory

These great achievements, already completed, have heralded a tide of victory which is sweeping across the world in every field of Bahá’í activity.

On June 28, a historic event of singular importance took place in Haifa when President Tubman of Liberia visited the Shrine of the Báb. This is the second official visit of the head of a sovereign state, the first having been that of President Ben Zvi of Israel during the lifetime of Shoghi Effendi. It is surely much more than mere coincidence that the first head of a sovereign state from abroad to visit the Holy Shrines should be President not only of an African republic but of the first black African republic of that continent. President Tubman was received by ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Mr. Ferraby, Mr. Furútan and Mr. Haney on behalf of the Hands of the Cause, and Mr. Wolcott and Miss Jessie Revell representing the International Council. This event must have given great joy to the heart of our beloved Guardian, who had labored so painstakingly to win for the Faith the recognition it merits, and which was denied its long-suffering Founder, with such baneful results for the present generation of mankind.

Another distinguished visitor was Olaf Telefson, the first resident Ambassador from Norway, who visited the Shrine in March accompanied by Mrs. Telefson and the Norwegian Honorary Consul. On another occasion the Cultural Attachés of all the Embassies in Israel visited the Shrine.

A significant step in the process of the emancipation of the Faith has been the official recognition by the Sharí’aḥ Court in Kuwait of a Bahá’í marriage performed by the local Spiritual Assembly of Qatar.

Rapid Advances in Teaching Field

In the teaching field the advances are now so rapid that any statistics are surpassed as soon as they are recorded. The Japanese Bahá’ís have won a signal victory through the introduction of the Faith to the Ainu tribes, the aboriginal inhabitants of Japan, who now live in the northern island of Hokkaido. The first contact with the Ainus was made in 1932 when the Hand of the Cause, Miss Agnes Alexander, visited Hokkaido and spoke about the Faith in several gatherings. Then, on June 3, 1957, encouraged by the Hand of the Cause, Jalál Kházeh, a Japanese and a Persian believer visited the island for nineteen days, and the contacts made then were renewed on November 22 of the same year following a message from the beloved Guardian, written on October 20, drawing the attention of the National Spiritual Assembly to the importance of teaching this race. After a fourth visit this winter three Ainu chiefs accepted Bahá’u’lláh, and now we hear that

President Tubman of Liberia visits the Shrine of the Báb. Left to right, in front: Hand of Cause Paul Haney, Mrs. Tubman, ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Aba Khoushy (mayor of Haifa).

[Page 3] more than twenty Ainus have embraced the Faith and a great receptivity is being shown in many villages.

In Korea two new assemblies were formed last year, one of them on an offshore island.

In New Zealand Fred Wharerau, a Maori, accepted the Faith in January, and was followed on April 2 by Chief Te Paa of Kaitaia in the northern district, who first heard of the Faith from the Hand of the Cause, Enoch Olinga.

In the Mentawei Islands, off Sumatra, eight new villages have accepted the Cause. In the Philippines from August to January declarations were being accepted at a rate of thirty to fifty per month; by April the declarations in one month totalled 350.

In Vietnam the Faith has received a quite extraordinary amount of publicity in the press, and in Bangkok, Thailand, since May 31, the Bahá’ís have been allowed half an hour free radio time every week.

A cable has just been received from India announcing the joyous news that the number of believers now totals 20,000 and that on July 1 there were 300 local spiritual assemblies and 826 localities.

A most exciting development has taken place in Africa. A couple of years ago extension teaching was conducted by the Bahá’ís of Usumbura, Ruanda Urundi, along the then Belgian Congo border. The response was warm and immediate, and after one year the number of Bahá’ís rose to several hundreds. Intensified teaching followed, which resulted during the past year in the increase of the number of believers and the enrollment of the first hundred Pygmies, one of whom attended the recent Annual Convention of Central and East Africa. The teaching work in the Congo is concentrated so far in the Kivu Province. Since Convention, Max Kenyerezi and Oloro Epyeru, two of the African members of the Regional National Spiritual Assembly who are also members of the Auxiliary Board, visited the area. Their report, just received, states that the number of believers in the Congo has risen to nearly 15,000, with 141 local spiritual assemblies, and that the Bahá’ís now have 101 centres which serve as their meeting places.

The Hand of the Cause, Enoch Olinga, who is on a tour of North-East and Central and East African territories, will soon be visiting the Congo. Mr. Olinga’s visit to his home district in Teso, Uganda, has been a great success. At his first meeting in Teso, on June 16, 100 out of the 1,000 attendants at the meeting declared immediately. According to latest statistics there are now almost 39,000 believers throughout the Central and East African Region.

Progress Among the Indians of Western Hemisphere

The work among the Indians of the Western Hemisphere is progressing at such a speed that a number of the national spiritual assemblies, on the basis of current developments, have adopted revised goals far in excess of those originally set by the beloved Guardian.

On June 2 and 3, on the Indian Reservation at Pine Springs in Arizona, a conference was held entitled “Different Races Gathering with Prayer.” The conference was attended by Indians from many tribes, including Aleut, Oneida, Choctaw, Chippewa, Navajo, Washoe, Shoshone, Taos, San Domingo, Crow and Cherokee, and also Eskimos, and over one hundred Bahá’ís from Asia, Africa, North and South America, Australia, Europe and the Islands of the Pacific, drawn from the black,

First Pygmy Delegate 1962

brown, red, white and yellow races. A complete report has not yet been received, but the news so far shows that the conference was a magnificent success. One attendant writes “Mr. Khádem’s loving spirit touched the hearts of all of the more than one thousand who were present. Indescribable is the feeling generated by the memories of the sight of the patriarch of the clan, John Hale, the wearer of the lion-skin, eagle-feathered hat (crown), symbol of strength and wisdom, as he embraced with tenderness and love the Hand of the Cause, Zikru’lláh Khádem, and poured out his heart.”

In Bolivia, the scene of the first mass conversions in Latin America, there are now nearly 4,000 Bahá’ís in 321 localities, with sixty-two spiritual assemblies.

In Colombia four new spiritual assemblies were formed at Riḍván, one of them entirely Indian.

In Costa Rica some thirty Indians were enrolled in the month before Riḍván.

In Mexico, where the number of believers was doubled last year, two extra assemblies have been formed since Riḍván, and two native Mexican pioneers are in process of taking the Faith to the Province of Yucatán, the site of the ancient Maya civilization.

Nicaragua almost quadrupled the number of its believers last year.

The swelling of the ranks of the faithful has leapt ahead in Panama. In January the Council of Ustupo in the San Blas Islands, Panama, unanimously resolved to approve the introduction of the Faith and make public their recognition of it. Now we hear that during the last three weeks of May approximately 700 Kuna Indian believers declared. A teacher training school has been held in Ustupo at which thirteen Kuna Indians arose to become traveling teachers. They have left

[Page 4] their island in groups of about three to carry the Faith to many other islands. The first cacique (head chief) of all the San Blas Islands has entered the Cause with his entire island, Tuala, which has about 500 inhabitants. All eighty-seven inhabitants of the island of Wuichihuala have entered the Faith, and some hundred Indians have declared on the island of Nalunega. The Faith has now been taken to nine new island localities, and six lesser chiefs have declared. In the Guaymi area of the province of Chiriquí the pioneers penetrated four days into the Cordilleras and formed a new Bahá’í community at Hate Jebe, the administrative seat of a new Indian district, where the mayor and his entire family became Bahá’ís.

How unimaginable would these victories have been but a few short years ago; what joy fills the heart of every faithful believer as he contemplates the successive triumphs of God’s Cause and witnesses with astonishment the peoples of the world beginning to flock to the Divine Standard in one country after another; nor can we yet conceive those things which will come to pass in the months which still separate us from the Most Great Jubilee. We can but throw ourselves with renewed strength and exuberant confidence into the tasks which lie to our hand, and echo with awe and gratitude the words uttered by our beloved Master fifty years ago when He saw the first victories of the Cause in the West: “O Bahá’u’lláh! What hast Thou done? O Bahá’u’lláh! May my life be sacrificed for Thee! O Bahá’u’lláh! May my soul be offered up for Thy sake! How full were Thy days with trials and tribulations! How severe the ordeals Thou didst endure! How solid the foundations Thou hast finally laid, and how glorious the banner Thou didst hoist!”

—INTERNATIONAL BAHÁ’Í COUNCIL

World Center of the Faith
July 16, 1962

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First Shoshone Indian
and Others Join Faith

God Will Assist “An Indian lady in Fiji was being questioned as to why she had joined the Bahá’í Faith. ‘You cannot read for yourself, you were once a loyal and faithful follower of Muhammad, now you are being blindly led astray. Why do you not return to the faith of your forefathers?’ The simple, inspired and dignified reply of this unlettered lady silenced the priest who prided himself on his superior learning. ‘It was the call of God,’ she said.” (From the South Pacific Bulletin.)

The first enrollment among the Shoshone Tribe took place recently—another step forward in reaching the Indians of the United States, so dear to the heart of Shoghi Effendi.

Since the Pine Springs Conference there has been an upsurge of enrollments in that vicinity, bringing the hope of an assembly when the “civil areas” can be clarified. Other heart-warming news is that twelve additional Navajos have joined the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, and that there are most encouraging results throughout the southwest.

Conference at the village of Pitihuma, Ceylon, one of several conducted on that populous island last spring in the presence of Hand of the Cause Jalál Kházeh. Pitihuma has more than one hundred believers.

[Page 5]

“Fifty Years Ago”

Starting with the one at the Wilmette Temple during convention, a number of commemorations of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit in 1912 have already taken place in different parts of the United States. Each one has been a rewarding effort toward mass proclamation.

Participants in Cleveland program: Mozhan Khádem, speaker; Prescott Cole, co-chairman; Betty Lewis, chairman.

CLEVELAND, OHIO—A meeting, attended by at least 150, was held at the Pick-Carter Hotel, approximately two blocks from the site on which the Master spoke in 1912.

Mozhan Khádem was the guest speaker, and was aided by both a chairman and a co-chairman. Radio, newspaper, posters and prestige pamphlets were used in publicizing the event. After the meeting many stayed to talk with the speaker, while others adjourned to a coffee shop for further discussion.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA—Although a severe cloudburst reduced the size of the expected attendance, Dan Jordan of Chicago spoke to an interested audience at the Indiana State World War Memorial Building. The friends felt that this meeting was a real step forward in their program of mass proclamation.

Invitations, posters, announcements to nine radio stations and to newspapers—three daily, one Negro weekly and twenty-four neighborhood—were part of the publicity effort. A card was prepared, giving information on firesides and library materials, to aid people in contacting the Faith in Indianapolis and nearby cities.

MADISON and MONONA VILLAGE, WISCONSIN—Through the joint efforts of these communities two public meetings were arranged with John McCants of Florida as speaker. Attendance was excellent as was publicity, and many prestige folders found their way into non-Bahá’í hands. Radio announcements, mailed invitations and advertising were included in the promotion.

The governor of Wisconsin and the mayor of Madison sent letters of congratulation on the accomplishments of the Faith and the anniversary. Later a Madison newspaper, The Capital Times, published an outstanding feature article on the progress of the Faith, using pictures of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the American and German Temples.

Much recognition for the Faith was achieved, and many new contacts found as a result of this joint observation.

Mark Tobey speaks to an audience of 600 in Seattle.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON—The commemoration was held in Seattle with the cooperation of neighboring communities. Officially sponsored by the Bahá’í Club, the observance drew an audience of about 600 to the Students’ Memorial Union Building on the campus at the University of Washington. The success of this meeting is to be attributed, in part, to the fact that Mark Tobey—world renowned artist who is particularly well known in the Pacific Northwest, and whose paintings are at present exhibited in Seattle—was the guest speaker.

It was noteworthy that some four hundred and fifty people, who in many cases had no knowledge of the Bahá’í Faith, were attracted. Many who had heard the word “Bahá’í” in connection with Mark Tobey’s paintings had the opportunity to become acquainted with some aspects of the Faith in relation to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was the central theme of the talk, and also in relation to life as a whole.

In addition to mailing 1000 invitations and one hundred

[Page 6] brochures, letters were sent to the governor of Washington and the mayors and city councils of Seattle and nearby towns. Neighboring communities also sent out about 1000 invitations and contacted their local papers. Four hundred posters were placed throughout the area.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Recalling that memorable time in 1912 when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke in Rankin Chapel, Howard University joined with the seven assemblies and groups of the Washington area in a stirring commemoration on June 10, at which greetings were read from the commissioners of the District of Columbia. Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, in paying tribute to the Master, emphasized the theme that the Promised One has come. Dr. H. Elsie Austin, just returned from Africa, was chairman, and the School of Music provided outstanding soloists. The attendance of over 200 was the best for any public meeting in the area in decades and was the result of the combined efforts of the cooperating communities.

The materials provided by the National Assembly aided in the publicity effort. Radio time was given the speaker in nearby Baltimore, and a number of library posters were placed in Montgomery County, Maryland. An extensive display of Bahá’í books was used in the Takoma Park library. After the meeting a directory of local Bahá’í communities was distributed with the brochure, Fifty Years Ago.

Regional Conference in the Mountains of Peru

On May 27 twenty-five of the friends traveled by special bus to a conference in the Quechua village of Pampa Cruz, where the first indigenous group in Peru reached assembly size. Although intended primarily for fellowship, the theme of the one-day gathering was Bahá’í Administration. Several similar conferences are planned for each of four regions.

Upper left: Some of the forty who participated; others are out of sight at left of speaker.

Upper right: A few of the women gathered around the hole in the ground where the cooking was done by means of hot stones.

Right: The food, eaten without utensils, is spread out on a level place in the meadow — easily accessible to all.

Peruvian Believer Attains Prominent Post in Education

In June Dr. Manuel Carranza Marquez, member of the Spiritual Assembly of Huancayo, became Rector (President) of La Universidad Nacional del Centro del Peru, as announced in the daily paper, La Voz de Huancayo.

Dr. Carranza has had extensive training for this position including study in Germany, and years of experience as a professor and as rector at another university. He served on a commission of reorganization, appointed by the Peruvian Minister of Education, and was of considerable influence in effecting the transition from “Community” to “National” universities.

Dr. Carranza expects to augment the teaching program by bringing professors into the country, and hopes that he can find Bahá’ís who would be interested in joining the staff.

[Page 7]

Additional European Communities Report Their First National Conventions

DENMARK—The historic First National Convention was richly colored by the wondrous experience of passing yet another milestone in the beloved Guardian’s Crusade. Everyone present was stirred by the feeling of these remarkable hours in the evolution of mankind.

The messages from the Hands of the Faith furnished the starting point for consultation, which was based largely on home front teaching. Throughout the sessions Hand of the Cause Hasan Balyuzi threw “a beaming light” by his many helpful suggestions and his inspiring wisdom.

As at other European conventions gifts from dearly loved Amelia Collins and the Hands were announced, deeply touching and encouraging the assembled delegates and visitors.

This First National Convention brought to the friends a feeling of deep unity, and the inspiration “to fulfill the last, the biggest and the smallest wishes of the beloved Guardian.” The believers separated after a heart-stirring farewell to Mr. Balyuzi who carried flowers from the convention to the grave of Shoghi Effendi.

LUXEMBOURG—The First National Convention of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was held in Luxembourg City at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. It marked the separation from its sister communities of Belgium and Holland with which it had been associated in the Benelux Regional Assembly since 1957.

The representative of the Hands of the Cause was Dr. ‘Alí Muḥammad Varqá. Jan Sijsling was the Auxiliary Board member present and Claude Levy represented the outgoing Regional Assembly.

The messages from the Hands formed the basis of consultation. In addition many other messages and greetings from around the world were read and discussed. Some of these messages brought happy memories as well as deep appreciation for the help given over the years.

Mr. Varqá addressed the friends several times, offering encouragement and assurance as well as his best wishes for the success of the teaching work during these last decisive months of the Ten Year Crusade.

NORWAY—Mindful of the consecrated efforts of Johanna Schubarth, “mother of the Norwegian Bahá’í Community,” who, all alone, “kept the light of the Faith aflame” from 1927 until the arrival of American pioneers in 1946, the First National Convention opened in Deichmann’s Hall, Oslo, with prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

Inspired by the messages from the Hands of the Faith, and heartened by the encouraging remarks of Hand of the Cause John Ferraby and his announcement of the generous gifts from the Hands as well as the late Amelia Collins, the consultation concentrated on the specific things to be accomplished before Riḍván 1963. Among these are the incorporation of the new National Assembly, the establishment of a National Fund and a Temple Fund for the Mother Temple of Europe, the advisability of providing a Norwegian pioneer to Spitzbergen and the introduction of the Faith to the Baltic countries as well as to the Lapps in North Norway.

With the election of the first National Spiritual Assembly at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds—the home provided for this newborn institution through the generosity of the Guardian and Mrs. Collins—the “crown” was placed on the edifice which the consecrated labors of Hands, Board members, pioneers, resident believers and itinerant teachers had been largely instrumental in rearing over a period of thirty-five years.

The friends visited the grave of Johanna Schubarth to pay homage to her memory. After her death in 1952 the Guardian had written that her burial spot “will be a benefit to the people of that land and everyone who visits it, and through visiting it they will be strengthened to carry forward the work.”

The believers left for their homes elated and happy, conscious that a new epoch in the history of the Faith in Norway had begun, and determined to endeavor to their utmost to spread its light.

First National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Denmark, Riḍván 1962.

[Page 8]

Crusade Goals Achieved During Riḍván 1962

First National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark, 1962-1963. Left to right, front row: Mos B. Kamming, Palle Bischiff (chairman), Lisbeth Andersen (secretary). Back row: Baher Forgani, Kai Mulvad, Johan Fobian (assistant secretary), Egon Kamming (vice-chairman), Werner Nielsen (treasurer), Fereydoon Vahman.

First National Spiritual Assembly of the Netherlands, 1962-1963. Left to right, front row: Bob Van Lith (chairman), Genil Sijsling, Lottie Tobias (secretary), Jan Sijsling. Back row: Gert v.d. Garde (vice-chairman), Masud Maggani, Christopher Westenbroek, Arnold Von Ogtrap, Günter Vilten (treasurer).

First Spiritual Assembly of Palembang, Sumatra, formed 1962. Left to right, seated: Baharuddin (treasurer), Saleha, Dt. Danil, Mustafa. Standing: Jusran (chairman), Abidin, Chaedir, Sukirno (secretary), Azwidjar.

First Spiritual Assembly of Auki, Malaita, Solomon Islands, formed 1962.

First Spiritual Assembly of the village of Shelgau, Western India, formed during Riḍván 1962.

[Page 9] First Spiritual Assembly of Newhall J. D., California, formed April 1962. Left to right, seated: David Johnson, Marion Jackson, Charles Jackson (treasurer), Clare Atwood (recording secretary). Standing: Robert King (vice-chairman), Marion Johnson (secretary), Leslie Vaughn (chairman), Rhoda Vaughn, Joseph Bonner.

First Spiritual Assembly of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, formed April 1962. Left to right, seated: Mrs. Grace Shahrokh (secretary), Mrs. Adrienne Loubergé, Paul Loubergé (vice-chairman), Mrs. Anita Geib. Standing: Darius Shahrokh (chairman), Mrs. Betty Jones, Roman Peskorz, Virginia Peskorz, George Baenen (treas.).

First Spiritual Assembly of Sukabumi, West Java, formed 1962. Left to right, seated: Mrs. Gouw Tjis Nio, Mrs. Tjio Hok Nio, Mrs. Gouw Djeli Nio. Standing: Song Pang Sin, Song Tjoen Hoa, Liauw Tek Goan, Tan Tjun Houw, Lim Tek Tjoey, Tjoa Tek Hie.

First Spiritual Assembly of Beloeil, Quebec, Canada, formed April 1962. Left to right, front row: Mrs. Barbara Smith, Mrs. Priscilla Waugh, Mrs. Ellen DeMille, Mrs. Mora Pollitt, Mrs. Pam Fairchild. Back row: W. R. Waugh, David Fairchild, Terry Smith, John Pollitt.

First Spiritual Assembly of Kikaya Hill, Uganda, formed April 1962. (Site of the African Temple.)

First Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Hamburg, New York, formed April 1962.

[Page 10] Filipino pioneers and teachers.

A group at the Dumanisi summer school.

Mass Conversion in the Philippines

For many years the Bahá’í community comprised about 200 believers in forty centers with only four assemblies. Then the spark of teaching was heightened by visits of Hand of the Cause Dr. Muhájir and pioneers. By January 1962 there were over 500 believers in sixty-two localities and eighteen assemblies assured. To give some idea of the accelerated teaching effort and the results, extracts are quoted from a report written by American pioneer Jack Davis.

“The spark burned steadily ... new impetus was given ... new directions and dimensions of inspiration.... We have always been beset by lack of adequate funds, numbers of steady pioneers giving full time, and by physical conditions of inaccessibility except by climbing and walking in the tropical sun which take time and energy.

“Just preceding Riḍván four pioneers with a small group visited both old and new places preparing for the birth of new spiritual institutions. When we returned home ... Bahá’u’lláh had created twenty-eight new assemblies, and there were 1000 believers in ninety-eight localities. Members of two tribes had enrolled as well as the first all-Bahá’í village. In one week alone 260 souls embraced the Faith.

“Some of the encouraging things Dr. Muhájir said to us were: that it seemed the Philippines were now fourth in the teaching work after Africa, India, Bolivia ... that we should vie with Bolivia ... that the spiritual capacity of the Filipino people was very great ... that mass conversion seems to have progressed further in a shorter space of time.

“Mountain Province was an experience! It took three days to get there, and at every stop or change of bus new believers enrolled. We began to climb ... climbing was so difficult we walked twenty feet and stopped, panting ... none of it mattered because those dear mountain people (Igorots)—many still pagan—loved the Faith. They were very thirsty. We climbed from village to village amid scenes of fantastic beauty.... In those few days seventy enlisted under the banner.

“At a summer school in Dumanisi—on practically no notice—over one hundred gathered, several of whom volunteered to help pioneer.... Then came June 30.... There were 600 new believers, raising our total to 1600; eighty-four new localities giving us 182; and potentially forty-five assemblies; plus two new

Over one hundred devoted friends from thirty villages attended a summer school at the Dumanisi Bahá’í Center.

[Page 11] A gathering of the friends in the Philippines.

Dinner meeting for Race Amity Day, Sioux Falls, S.D.

tribes and six more provinces. The Ifugaos, the Ilongots, the Negritos and the Igorots are the beginning of wonderful events.

“So we are busy ... trying to lay out plans ... to carry on the work which is now becoming so vast, covering such distances, with diversified people of different dialects each requiring translation.... And, too, we are constantly asked, ‘come to our place’ ... we wish we could divide ourselves to go everywhere.... One can never describe mass conversion but all the promises in the Writings about this ... are coming to pass.”

Race Amity Day gathering in New Orleans, La.

Race Amity Day Proclaimed

As a result of the cooperative efforts of assemblies and groups in the area, Mayor James B. McKinney issued a Proclamation for Race Amity Day in Sacramento, California.

The area believers, working together, carried out a very well attended picnic. The event drew unsolicited TV publicity which compared the Bahá’í demonstration of the oneness of mankind to an anti-Negro demonstration taking place in another part of town.

* * *

In addition to Sacramento, several cities not mentioned in the August issue of BAHÁ’Í NEWS held interesting and successful gatherings. East Cleveland (Ohio), Indianapolis (Indiana) and New Orleans (Louisiana) arranged panel discussions. South Bend (Indiana) gave a pot luck dinner. In Sioux Falls (South Dakota) an extensive celebration took place—a dinner meeting and panel discussion at the YMCA, followed by a reception at a private home for the Bahá’í speaker, Dr. Sarah Pereira.

[Page 12]

First Local Assemblies Formed Riḍván 119

First Spiritual Assembly of Fort William, Ontario, Canada, formed April 1962. Left to right, front row: Mrs. Mona Schmalenberg, Mrs. Dorthy Swanson, Mrs. Mable Ennis (treasurer), Mrs. Jean Martens (recording secretary), Mrs. Mary Murray. Back row: Robert Fleming (vice-chairman), Philip Schmalenberg (chairman), Vern Ennis, C. T. Martens (secretary).

Eight members of the first Spiritual Assembly of Triunfo de la Cruz, Honduras, formed April 1962. Left to right, front row: Silverio Petillo, Mrs. Emenihilda Castillo (treasurer), Cristobal Amaya. Back row: Luis Guzman (secretary), Feliciano Smith, Balbino Alvarez (recording secretary), Tranquilino Herrera, Luciano Alvarez (chairman). Not shown: Juan Martinez (vice-chairman).

First Spiritual Assembly of Culver City, California, formed April 1962. Left to right, seated: Mary Ellen Reese (secretary), Anna Cooper, Lisa Janti (treasurer). Standing: Kent Lansing, Marc Towers (chairman), Arthur Fishman, David Janti (vice-chairman), Bernard Fishman, Jack Gartner.

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National Assemblies for 1962-1963

National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia, 1962-1963. Left to right, front row: Mrs. Barbara Sims (secretary), Miss Agnes Alexander, Michitoshi Zenimoto, Ikuo Mizuno (vice-chairman). Back row: Ataullah Moghbel (treasurer), David Earl (chairman), Masazo Odani, Hiroyaso Takano, Rouhollah Momtazi (recording secretary).

National Spiritual Assembly of France, 1962-1963. Left to right, seated: Mrs. Florence Bagley (vice-chairman), Mrs. Sara Kenny, Miss Lucienne Migette (chairman), Mrs. Henriette Samimy (secretary). Standing: Yadullah Rafaat, Alain Tamenne, Lucien McComb (treasurer), A. M. Barafroukhteh (recording secretary), Manoutchehr Hakim.

[Page 13] National Spiritual Assembly of Brazil, 1962-1963. Left to right, seated: Dinah Franca, Margot Worley, Muriel Miessler, Nylza Taetz. Standing: Vivaldo Ramos, Ernani Mentz, Rangvald Taetz, Edmund Miessler, Mario Dantas Cavalcante.

National Spiritual Assembly of Venezuela, 1962-1963. Left to right, seated: Maria Ines de Caro, Chana de Voss, Mireya Muñoz, Maria Dutto. Standing: Camilo Grandi, Luis Narvaez, Hans Voss, Anselmo Torres Morales, Eduardo Maa Gamarra.

National Spiritual Assembly of Cuba, 1962-1963.

National Spiritual Assembly of Jamaica, 1962-1963. From left to right: R. Taylor (recording secretary), A. Senior, M. Ullrich, A. M. Gallier (assistant treasurer), W. A. W. Mitchell (chairman), C. Ullrich (vice-chairman), D. Buchanan (treasurer), R. Fitz-Henley (secretary), E. Taylor.

Seven members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the South Pacific, 1962-1963. Left to right: Miss Irene Jackson, Suhayl Ala’i, Stephen Percival, Alvin Blum, Lisiate Maka, Miss Mabel Sneider, Miss Margaret Rowling. Absent: Mrs. Elsa Blakely, Mrs. Dulcie Dive.

National Spiritual Assembly of Peru, 1962-1963. Left to right: Demetrio Molero, Enrique Sánchez, Josefina Rosas, Jorge Béjar, Mercedes Sánchez, Lester Long, Jesús Vargas, Guillermo Aquilar, Fidel Flores.

[Page 14]

Teaching in Italy is Accelerated

During recent months Hand of the Cause Dr. Ugo Giachery made a series of visits to the various centers. In Turin, first European city to receive the “seeds of the Bahá’í Faith,” about eighty persons from Genoa, Milan and Turin gathered to hear Dr. Giachery speak, and to enjoy his slide-illustrated description of a recent visit to Central America.

In Bologna enthusiastic contacts and believers heard Dr. Giachery stress the logic of a Faith that answers the problems of a perplexing age.

Also in Turin, a series of six public conferences took place to give anyone interested an opportunity to understand the Teachings and the history of the Faith. The average attendance was about seventy, and the conferences were led by several Italian believers.

Reminder We do not maintain a file of photographs used as illustrations in BAHÁ’Í NEWS and do not have duplicate prints. Therefore it is impossible for us to fill requests for international pictures. Inquiries should be addressed to the country of origin. —BAHÁ’Í NEWS EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Bologna Bahá’ís gathered to say “arrivederci” to Dr. and Mrs. Ugo Giachery.

Group of Italian, Persian and American believers photographed in Palermo, Sicily.

Fireside, which included Persians, Americans and Italians, in Florence, Italy.

Some of the participants at one of six public conferences held in Turin, Italy.

North East Africa Regional Assembly Incorporated

Attainment of another Crusade goal was achieved by the registration of the Regional Assembly of North East Africa at the High Court of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 10, 1961. Documents were also submitted to a newly organized Bureau for the Registration of Religious Documents.

[Page 15] Witnessing the enrollment of the first tribal leader. From left: Arthur Dahl, Mrs. Marion West, Willie Astor, Tom West, Hank Pete.

Washoe Indian Tribal Leader Enrolls

Of utmost importance to the Indian teaching in general and to the Nevada area in particular is the enrollment of Hank Pete of the Washoe Tribe, first tribal leader to become a Bahá’í in the United States. Although nearly blind Mr. Pete studied carefully with some of the believers, and in making his declaration wrote in part: “I am an old man and in my time have made many mistakes. However, I do not think it is too late for me to be a better man and try to do better for the remainder of my life. This is why I want to be a Bahá’í because this way everybody can be friends with one another ... as is possible in the Bahá’í Faith when the people love Bahá’u’lláh and His Teachings and try to follow them in their lives ....”

The actual enrollment was turned into a real celebration as well as an outstanding teaching event, with an attendance of about 150—believers and Indian friends from the Reno-Sparks area and from as far away as California. The program included prayers, songs by the children in Washoe and English, Bahá’í talks and a bountiful repast, as well as the actual enrollment. Several books were given to Mr. Pete, and each child received the prayer “Blessed is the Spot” and a pencil.

Many invitations were mailed and there was advance and follow-up publicity. All of this pleased Mr. Pete because he wanted his people to know of his acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh, hoping that they, too, might find the light.

Annual Bahá’í Service Held at Cathedral of the Pines

Each year the Area Teaching Committee for the Northern New England States sponsors a public meeting at the beautiful Cathedral of the Pines, Rindge, New Hampshire. This is an outdoor shrine dedicated to the worship of God by people of all religions and races where, on July 1, the twelfth Bahá’í program was given. Hugh E. Chance spoke to approximately 200 people, many of whom were non-Bahá’ís.

Notes on Mass Conversion from the South Pacific

In the spring an important conference on mass conversion took place in Suva, Fiji Islands. In addition to those from the immediate area, the participants included believers from the Gilbert and Samoa Islands, Hawaii and Tonga. The following extracts are from notes taken at the conference of comments by those attending.

“Mass conversion is just beginning in the world.... We do not have much experience.... You should not think that what they are doing in other places is what you are to follow. You should try your best in different ways, and by doing so give other places some experience. They have done something, you will do something.... We encourage you to try different ways, but you should know what other people are doing. There is no formula to follow.... In Africa they do things one way and in India another, and there is more success in India.

“In the Pacific area you should try to reach the pagans—the people who have no religion. In Mentawei we went to the pagans and there are 7,000 Bahá’ís.... They do not have preconceived ideas and are ready to understand. So the first thing to consider in your plan is, where are the pagans of the Pacific?

“If you do not have any pagans, where are your furthest places? Where are the people who are still pure and do not mix with civilization very much? The beloved Guardian said: ‘I hope within the Ten Year Crusade the Bahá’ís will go to the places where for centuries the Christians and Muslims have not gone.’

... You can also have mass conversion easily in Christian villages. First, prefer the pagans; second, the villages and far places of the Christians.... All the people of the world are waiting consciously and unconsciously to receive the Message of Bahá’u’lláh....

“Now, for mass conversion should we teach directly or indirectly? I have said social work should not come first. We should approach directly because the people are simple and we should tell them clearly why we have come to their village. The local Bahá’ís can do this, but it was different for the pioneers ... they had to teach indirectly and make friends first. You local people of the Pacific can teach directly....

“We will tell the people that we have come to the village to give them a message and then we will tell them about the Faith.... At this point in the Crusade we do not have enough time to go and make friends. We should go out with the idea that the people are thirsty for knowledge of the Faith. We should discuss the Faith with them, not talk about the weather, the crops, the world, etc., and then finally when they are tired we say a few words about the Faith.... Speak only of the Bahá’í Teachings, and speak clearly. Tell them simply about the Bahá’ís; that we are one, the world is one. After that you give the people time to digest what you have said. If they understand only one principle it is better than for you to give them all the twelve principles in one day, because they will not know what to think....

“Your first approach should be to all the people, not just to a few of them. I remember once in Mentawei I was speaking to a few people.... They said, no,

[Page 16] Three summer schools were held simultaneously in the Solomon Islands — at Auki, Haw Hin and Honiara. Shown at left is a study class at Auki, and at right the school of Honiara.

that is not the way. You must come to our village and tell everyone and perhaps we will all accept the Faith. This is tribal sense, because they do everything together. If you break the tribal law you will not have success.... Your first approach should be to an entire village—everyone. In this manner they will not be suspicious of the Faith and of each other.” (Muhájir)

“Where to go and what to do? We should put our thoughts on these questions. In American Samoa we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion according to the American system. It has nothing to do with the Matai (chief) system. I recommend that we consider the Manua Islands where there are no Bahá’ís. It is under American Samoa. We must take the light of Bahá’u’lláh there. They are in need of a new faith.” (Manuma)

“At first we had to go and teach individuals, now we have mass conversion.... Therefore our minds were held back. There are some villages where village councils are very strict. I will always remember two points: 1. To have faith. 2. To have courage. You need courage to face the village councils.” (Tuataga)

“I think it will be good if different islanders go out to teach in other islands. The people will pay more attention to strangers. If we all go to different islands we might be successful in mass conversion. I would like to say that with Elena Fernie who was in the Gilberts and with all the other pioneers, their hearts go with their spiritual children. Parents love their children and their love will always follow them.” (Pedro)

“I have listened to what has been said. In regard to the teachers who will go out I think one thing is very important—the quality of the person. Some teachers will go out and teach, others will wait until the pioneers push them out. If we expect to make a success of mass conversion we have to be examples. Deeds are better than the words you express to your fellow man. Mass conversion requires suitable teachers who will be examples.” (Maka)

“The second thing ... (is) the customs of the people. What is our attitude? Shall we obey the customs? Shall we change them? It is very difficult to answer this exactly.... I think we should not break their customs and we should try to obey as much as we can. The beloved Guardian said, learn their language, learn their customs, so we can obey and help. For example, in Indonesia they have a custom that you give things with your right hand. The left hand is for enemies. So if you give something with the left hand you are finished in teaching. It is a simple thing but very necessary to know....

“They say drinking is the custom of the people. This we do not accept as it is clearly written in the Teachings that we cannot drink, so we cannot accept this custom....

“Another thing we should know about mass conversion is that it will not come through the pioneers but through the local people.... The Guardian said that the local people will be able to go where the pioneers cannot go. The pioneers will be good for consolidation where they can help communities. The secret of the progress in Africa is that they teach the local people to teach. You can do this in the Pacific and then it will go like fire.” (Muhájir)

International News Briefs

In the South Pacific six new local assemblies were formed at Riḍván, bringing the total in this vast region to twenty-six. The new ones are: Teirikiai Village on North Tabiteuea Island and Bikenibeu Village on Tarawa Island, both in the Gilberts; Noumea Township, the first assembly to be formed in New Caledonia; Pago Pago in American Samoa; Auki on Malaita Island in the Solomons; Houma Village in the Kingdom of Tonga.

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With the addition of six new assemblies, Australia now has a total of nineteen—at least one in every

[Page 17] state and territory. Newly formed are: Darwin, N.T.; Perth, W.A.; Adelaide and Enfield, S.A.; Melbourne, Vic.; Hobart, Tas.

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Race Unity Day was observed for the first time in Holland with a meeting in Haarlem on June 7. Nearly one hundred guests heard a believer and a non-Bahá’í speak on the race question. Both the president and the secretary of the International Friendship Club invited believers to their homes in order to learn more about the Faith.

A similar observance was held on June 13 in Arnhem with the same Bahá’í speaker and a movie provided by UNESCO. About forty attended, mostly receptive guests. A social hour gave the Arnhem believers a chance to demonstrate friendship for all.

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Taking advantage of a unique opportunity, the Champaign community sponsored a display of posters on the Faith prepared in an advertising design course at the University of Illinois. The course instructor accepts assignments from community groups for his class to execute, and the resulting posters are then donated to the group.

For the necessary research a good supply of pamphlets, pictures and books was given to the students, several of whom later expressed a desire to learn more about the Faith. During the program at the exhibit winning and honorable mention posters were selected, and then awards were presented with a few well chosen remarks about the Faith.

Ethiopian Bahá’í Student Honored in Germany

Abraham Medhane of Ethiopia, now studying in Germany, has been elected president of the Ethiopian Students’ Union. This is a non-political organization with about 1000 members in Europe. Undoubtedly Mr. Medhane will have many opportunities to serve the Faith in his new student office.

BAHA'I IN THE NEWS

In his new book, Comparative Religion (Macmillan, 1962), Geoffrey Parrinder makes at least three references to the Faith—pages 23, 82 and 108. The author states that the Báb is “the new prophet of the Bahá’í religion founded by his follower Bahá’u’lláh.” Apparently Mr. Parrinder’s research was not complete, and he does not indicate any particular sympathy to the Bahá’í beliefs.

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Religion in the Soviet Union, a book by Walter Kolarz, offers an extremely interesting review of the history of the Faith in Russia. Going back to the inception of the Cause, the author traces its entrance into the land of the czars, opposition encountered after the birth of communism, and vicissitudes affecting the believers and the Ishqabad Temple up to the present. The penetrating and sympathetic ‎acount account‎ appears in Chapter XV, pp. 470-473.

In Bern, Switzerland, on June 9 and 10, an International Conference was convened by the European Hands for consultation on unity and firmness among the friends and on the need to carry Bahá’u’lláh’s Message to all. Besides the three Hands, seventeen Auxiliary Board members and representatives of fourteen national assemblies were in attendance. A Unity Dinner was held at the Casino, at which the seventy conferees were joined by fifty-three additional believers from all over the country.

[Page 18] Annual Convention of North East Asia, April 1962. Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander is in front row.

On July 21, the Chicago Daily News carried a feature story on the Faith by Dave Mead, religious editor. The nearly half-page article was sympathetic, correct and interesting, and included brief quoted explanations of certain points by the national secretary as well as excerpts from the Writings. In addition to a page-wide headline, illustrations of the five Houses of Worship demanded attention. Without doubt the story drew many of the larger than usual number of visitors to the Temple in nearby Wilmette.

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“Where Faith Begins,” a religious feature column in the Detroit (Michigan) Free Press, carried a page-high signed story by June McKee, secretary of the Detroit local assembly, about her discovery of the Faith, its principles and its mission. The article was headed by a specially posed picture of Miss McKee, and concluded with comments by the assembly chairman, completing an exceptionally strong and accurate presentation of the Teachings.

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Page 1 of the May 31 issue of the Illinois Times, a semimonthly Negro paper published in the city of Champaign, was dominated by a large picture showing members of the local assembly. Also on the front page appeared a quotation from the Writings, an illustration of the Wilmette Temple and an article on the U.S. national convention.

Sixty-one believers from the German-speaking section of Switzerland gathered in Zurich on July 8 to hear about the recent International Conference in Bern. Later, the consultation centered on the need for fuller financial responsibility and on methods which could be used for more effective teaching by the native believers and the pioneers.

[Page 19] Fifteenth Annual Convention of the Bahá’ís of Canada, April 1962.

The Montclair (N.J.) Times on July 5 devoted more than a quarter page to extracts from a letter written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, The Hague. A parenthetical note included a brief statement about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His visit to America fifty years ago when He spoke “in churches, synagogues and universities, and to scientific societies and organizations dedicated to the promotion of peace.”

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In the Miami (Florida) News for June 24 there was an extensive story about Bahá’í artist Eleanor Ricciardi and her current exhibit. The article, by the paper’s art editor, included a brief mention of the Faith which Miss Ricciardi “considers another turning point in her life.”

A handsome brochure recently issued by the Universal Atlas Cement Division of the U.S. Steel Corporation to promote the use of white cement illustrated and identified the Temple in Wilmette. In the words of a commentator, the House of Worship “was placed like a precious gem in a setting of the most modern and artistic structures of our country.”

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An Israel section in the May 27 issue of the New York Herald Tribune showed a fine view in Haifa. A condensed caption said, “... this gold-domed temple is high on slopes of Mt. Carmel.” The “temple” was not identified, but before the average tourist reaches Haifa he no doubt learns the name of this outstanding landmark: The Shrine of the Báb.

Bahá’í summer school held in Juneau, Alaska, June 22 to 27, 1962.

[Page 20] Attendants at a party given by Mrs. Toby Emanuel for members of the North Western High School Glee Club. The affair followed up a mass-proclamation meeting in the Miami Municipal Auditorium, at which the glee club sang.

At the site of the future Temple of Paraguay.

Annual Convention of Cuba, April 1962.

Calendar of Events

FEASTS

September 8 — ‘Izzat (Might)

September 27 — Mashíyyat (Will)

U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS

October 12-14

Bahá’í House of Worship

Visiting Hours

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 9:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)

Service of Worship

Sundays

3:30 to 4:10 p.m.

Public Meeting

Sunday, September 16

4:15 p.m.

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BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.

BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee: Mr. and Mrs. P. R. Meinhard, Managing Editors; Mrs. Eunice Braun, International News Editor; Miss Charlotte M. Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative.

Material must be received by the twentieth of the second month preceding date of issue. Address: Bahá’í News 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.