Bahá’í News/Issue 403/Text
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| No. 403 | BAHA’I YEAR 121 | OCTOBER, 1964 |
Historic Rug[edit]
Some members of the famous Aḥmadpúr family had been in the presence of the beloved Master when the Shrine of the Báb had almost been completed. In their longing to have a share in that great and historic enterprise, they asked the Master if they could make a special carpet for the floor and send it to Haifa. He accepted their request and gave instructions as to what design they should choose for the carpet. This photo was taken after its completion and before its dispatch to the Holy Land. The people sitting in front are from the family of Ḥaj-Aḥmad, in whose silk factory the Báb’s body had been kept after being taken from the edge of the moat outside the city of Tabríz. This rug is now placed in the Shrine of the Báb.
A JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF THE DAWN-BREAKERS[edit]
During this past year Hand of the Cause, A. Q. Faizi, spent several weeks meeting with Bahá’ís in Írán, a journey which culminated in a memorable visit to the House of the Báb in Shíráz. The following excerpts from a personal letter written by Mr. Faizi are being shared in BAHÁ’Í NEWS with his permission.
“The story of this one month and a half is simply
wonderful. Though the friends were requested not to
arrange extensive programs for me, after two or three
days, experience showed that it was utterly beyond
my power or that of any committee to control the
many demands of the dearly beloved friends of Tehrán.
They were so eager to ask and so longing to know!
Youth Increase Knowledge of Teachings[edit]
“The youth in Írán are especially interested in any problem concerning our Faith. They proved so eager to attend the meetings that if the committee had invited for example one hundred, there would be at least 500 present. If there were not enough chairs the incomers would just stand in rows, sometimes for hours. The Youth Committee everywhere in Írán have many subsidiary committees such as: Public Speaking, Teacher Training Classes, Publications, etc. Though confronted with many many difficulties, they have had wonderful achievements in all lines of their activities.
“Let me describe to you one of their classes: On a special day parents and friends were invited to observe the final examination of the public speaking class. There were two groups, each group consisting of more than thirty boys and girls under the supervision and guidance of three teachers. The members of each class had taken many teaching tours from Tehrán to many different parts of Persia, especially to villages. Each one had committed to memory more than seventy-five quotations from our Sacred Writings. Thus they get ready to use the proper sayings in their speeches or when they talk to some contacts. Each knew by heart at least five long tablets in Persian or in Arabic. Though the means of transport are not adequately comfortable, available or cheap, scarcely any of the students had been even late to any of the classes. When they made speeches or recited the Tablets or quoted the Writings, their pronunciation and delivery were clear and penetrating. At the end of the meeting we had the pleasure to look at the many different books that the students had copied and the different books to which they had referred, during the whole year. When they asked me to tell them something, I was so thrilled that I could hardly talk. At the end of the day they promised to continue their studies to get ready for their future services. With tears in their eyes they expressed homage, respect and loyalty to the House of Justice and conveyed the message that they would be ready to
The Báb’s room showing the exact place where the Báb and Mullá Ḥusayn sat face to face on that memorable night of May 23, 1844.
A view of the exterior of the room taken from the roof of an adjoining house.
participate in the new plan arranged by that exalted
body.
“Having in mind the many obstacles that our young and old people have in Írán what they achieve approaches miracles. This proves that no obstacle is unsurmountable if we rely wholeheartedly upon the grace of God and the strength we receive from Him.
Past Sufferings Recalled[edit]
“From Tehrán I went to Isfáhán where I spent five nights. One of these nights I went to a nearby village called Najaf-Ábád, the friends of which are renowned for their bravery and steadfastness. As it was winter and the friends could not use their Bahá’í Hall, they had taken the trouble of pitching a huge tent in one of the houses. The floor was covered with many colorful carpets. More than a thousand Bahá’ís sat on the floor and as the ladies had covered themselves with colored cloths the whole gathering seemed to me like a beautiful garden of many different flowers. The friends who
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were sitting there were the ones who suffered the most
during the year 1955 when the cruel waves of persecution covered all lands in Írán.
“My struggle for words proved useless. Love and devotion and the memories of the past and the remembrance of their sufferings were too strong for the feeble words to express anything. I continued looking at them, and from every row of the friends I received strength and inspiration and then at last I started to talk to them about the beloved friends of Bolivia, the rapid progress of the Cause in India and Africa and I told them some stories which I had gathered throughout my one year trip round the world. The description of the International Convention and the World Congress brought tears to their eyes. I could then see visibly in their faces that they were praising Bahá’u’lláh and said that if their feet are in fetters and they can’t take the torch of God freely round the countries, their brothers and sisters in other parts of the world with their sacrificial services take the light of the Cause even to the very dark and obscure corners of the world.
Visit to the House of Báb[edit]
“In Shíráz also I spent five nights. There I had the honor to visit the House of the Báb and the very same room where Mullá Ḥusayn sat face to face with the Báb and heard his melodious voice when He declared His mission.
“Something really miraculous took place for me in Shíráz. I had sent a cable to the Hands in Haifa and begged them to appoint a certain date and hour when they would gather in the Shrine of the Báb and I in the Báb’s room, for the purpose of a simultaneous prayer. Thus a spiritual magnetic chain would be stretched between the starting point and the final one: His House in Shíráz and His Resting-Place on Mount Carmel.
“I received the answer to this cable in Tehrán, but let me tell you this. One day I was drawn as if by mysterious forces to the House and I walked in in tears and full of supplications. There in that very same room I remembered all my dear ones in the countries where I had passed through, and I prayed and supplicated for every one of them. The illumined faces of the dear friends were just in front of me when I was in that very small room. It was a feeling which permanently stays with me and forever remains indescribable. What affected me the most was the very small size of the House, the rooms and the little pond in the courtyard. To compare this smallness with the grandeur of the message which covered the whole earth, makes us comprehend the mysterious ways by which the Cause of God makes progress in different countries of the world under so much hardships, difficulties and plights. How great! How very great is the plan of God! That very tiny Room, by His decree and desire became the fountain-head of all the blessings, the springtide of the spiritual revival of mankind and the Primal Point from which powers are constantly released for the spiritual Conquest of the globe!
“When in Tehrán I received the Hands’ cable which I expected from Haifa, I came to know that on the very same day and hour that the friends gathered in the Shrine of the Báb, I went to His House in Shíráz.
Spiritual Bounties for Those Who Arise[edit]
“These days are the wonderful days of the early weeks of the year 121. I hope and pray that you will be ushered into this year with fresh powers and ample energy and be ready to do your part in the glorious Nine Year Plan of our beloved House of Justice. We all remember vividly the Guardian’s words when He gave us His World Crusade. He said that the Ten Year Plan was a preliminary step or an introduction for the future world plans which would be initiated by the House of Justice ... We are sure that the results will be great and full of powers and potentialities which will enable every Bahá’í to perform heroic feats. Fresh forces and ample resources will be at the disposal of the beloved friends and I am certain that the Bahá’ís will once more mount their steeds and render their sacrificial services to the Cause with such terrific speed and enthusiasm that the eyes of the whole world will be amazed at the rapid consummation of the Plan. Any substantial help and assistance given by the friends to fulfill the goals of this divine plan will surely and abundantly attract many blessings from On High for themselves, their friends, relatives and their homelands.”
Eighth Summer School of the Bahá’ís of Pakistan held June 21-27 at Abbottabad. Hand of the Cause Ṭaráẓu’lláh Samandarí (seated with the Greatest Name) addressed the participants every day.
Glimpses of ‘Amatul - Bahá Ruhíyyih Khánum in India[edit]
Visiting with Bahá’ís in Calcutta.
Girls from Panchagini School sing a Hindi song at meeting in Agaram Village.
Posing with friends after a reception and meeting at Immadatralli.
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LEFT: Twenty-ninth National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Írán held Riḍván 1964 in Tehrán. RIGHT: National Spiritual Assembly of Iran for 1964-65.
Twenty-Ninth National Convention Held in Iran[edit]
The twenty-ninth National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Iran was held in Tehrán on the first three days of Riḍván. Representatives from all of the provinces attended. The new National Spiritual Assembly was elected and consists of the following members: Professor M. Hakím (chairman), Abbásqulí Shahqulí (secretary), Salím Noonoo (treasurer), Mrs. B. Náderi (assistant secretary), Hidáyatu’lláh Sohrab (vice-chairman), Habíb Sábet, Miss Adelaide Sharp, Dr. M. Qáim-Maqámí and Dr. Masih Farhang.
On the afternoon of the third day the delegates paid a visit to the newly built hall of the Bahá’í Summer School in Tehrán and they personally extended their thanks to the founder of the building.
New Era School in Panchgani Commemorates Completion of Nineteen Years[edit]
On August 1, 1964 the Bahá’ís of Panchgani, India gathered to celebrate the feast of Kamál and the nineteenth anniversary of the New Era School. When the New Era first opened its doors in 1945 there were two teachers and sixteen children. Today there are about 200 students, twenty-five of whom have successfully completed their secondary education.
Four new people have just been added to the staff. Dr. and Mrs. Sidney I. Dean arrived to assume duties as Principal and Boarding Section Supervisor respectively. Originally from Hawaii they had been pioneering in Hong Kong for the past fourteen months. Also newly arrived were Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. McArthur from Great Britain who will serve as teachers and provide clerical assistance.
On August 4-7 the school was honored by the presence of Hand of the Cause Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir who had just arrived in India from South East Asia. Dr. Muhájir addressed the children in a loving and inspirational manner and he stimulated the Bahá’ís of Panchgani to greater teaching efforts.
Mentioned in the Ten Year Plan, this school is destined to become a Bahá’í University in the future.
Hand of the Cause Taráẓu’lláh Samandarí (seated in
center) on a recent trip to Dacca in East Pakistan.
Mr. Samandarí was welcomed not only by Bahá’ís but
by many other eminent people of this city including
the head of the Department of Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Dacca. His trip to the
renowned city, capitol of East Pakistan, will long be
remembered.
Spiritual Assembly of Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia formed Riḍván 1964.
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Those attending Fourth Annual Bahá’í Convention of Brazil in Belo Horizonte. The convention gave its attention
to spreading the Faith throughout the country in keeping with the Nine Year Plan; teaching among the Indians.
The new National Assembly is: Rangvald Taetz (chairman), Vivaldo Ramos (vice-chairman), Muriel Miessler
(corresponding secretary), Osmar Mendes (recording secretary), Djalal Eghrari (treasurer), Mrs. Nylza Taetz,
Shapoor Monadjem, Anthony Worley, Robert Miessler.
Good Fortune Helps with Swedish Temple Plans[edit]
When the Bahá’ís of Sweden purchased their Temple Site they were forced to buy a plot totaling 20,000 square meters which included approximately 10,000 meters of useless land. Since that time certain events have occurred which can only be interpreted as the intervention of a Higher Will. First the highway to the international airport, which goes through the property, was widened thereby leveling off the ugly edges. Then a decision was made to close the adjoining military training field and to open this area to civilian use.
The latest development is that the Bahá’ís will be able to sell the useless 10,000 square meters to a construction firm for a sum of money double the purchase price and at the same time, through a formal decision by the building authorities who have agreed to the building of a temple on the property, to enlarge the holdings of the site. When this acquisition has been carried through the Temple Site will be the most beautiful and the most suitable imaginable, situated on the highest point in the landscape, with the adjoining land softly falling to all sides.
The formal decision of the municipal building board, which favors the building of a temple, included such vital elements as the establishment of a city plan of which the proposed Bahá’í Temple will be a part. The decision of the building board was reported by a local newspaper, which printed a favorable article welcoming the future temple. The members of the building board also requested some literature about the Bahá’í Faith as the idea of the proposed temple interested them so much.
LEFT: Senor and Senora Nahuelpan (seated) first Mapuche Bahá’ís in Chile. Standing are Chilean teachers Teodoro Fernando Campos, Mary Benda and Nilda Carrasco. Senor Campos, a youth of 20, must be considered instrumental in the mass conversion among the Mapuche tribe. RIGHT: Meeting in Aguas Tendidas.
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LEFT: Spiritual Assembly of Caban, Guatemala formed Riḍván 1964. Members (not all present or in order listed) Oscar A. Sierra (chairman), Dee Worth Lamb (secretary), Federico Valladares Montes (treasurer), Oscar R. Siena C., Josué Absalón Cabrera, Aura P. de Sierra, Rosita Coronado de Siena. RIGHT: Caban Community and friends at a public meeting.
Spiritual Assembly of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, incorporated March 1964. Left to right, front: Anne McGee, Roland McGee. Seated on couch: E. Nelson, Joyce White, Lyda Mortland, Mina Ramsey. Standing: Annie Harrigan, Nan Greenwood, Paul Valentine.
Seventh Yukon Bahá’í Conference Held at Jackson Lake[edit]
About 110 Bahá’ís and their friends gathered for the Seventh Yukon Bahá’í Conference held July 1-5 at Jackson Lake, twelve miles from Whitehorse. The conference was made memorable by the first visit of Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery and his wife Angeline. Dr. Giachery spoke about the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, teaching the Faith and other related subjects.
Others who spoke during the conference were Peter Simple of Fort Yukon, Alaska; Beverly Kolstoe of Fairbanks, Alaska who taught the children as well as speaking at one of the adult classes; Tom Baumgartner of Big Delta; Sally Anderson of Douglas; Janet Stout of Palmer and Willy Willoya. Canadian believers who spoke were Shirley Lindstrom of Mayo, Yukon and Marg Brda of Richmond, British Columbia.
All who attended felt that this conference was one of the best ever held in the Yukon.
Students attending Seventh Annual Alaska Bahá’í Summer School held July 19-24 in Juneau. Hand of the Cause Uao Giachery (seated first row) attended and spoke to the students.
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Some of the youth at the Davison School Training Course before leaving for their assignment in Atlanta, Georgia
Bahá’í youth member, second from left, with group of Atlanta children in reading class.
Baha’i Summer Youth Projects: A First Report[edit]
The Bahá’í youth are our love and our hope. But their enthusiasm and passion for the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh must be annealed in real experiences which will foster Bahá’í attitudes of teaching and service to others. In the first summer of youth projects there has been a great confirmation of the power of a youth effort. Experiments have been conducted; well-disciplined projects have been carried out; casual and poorly executed labors have also occurred. A complete analysis of the projects, by Mrs. Jane McCants, project secretary, will be a guide to cooperating communities for programs hereafter.
The training session at Davison Bahá’í School June 13-21 infused the youth with the meaning of the goals they were undertaking, and with the splendid destiny which their generation of Bahá’ís must anticipate. The intensity of spirit which the youth and faculty alike manifested must be attributed to the high sense of purpose engendered in each youth by the specific project goals of teaching and service. Each saw himself as an instrument of God, performing the work of the Cause where it mattered, in areas of true human need, in the rural and urban South, in the slums, on Indian reservations, with Latin-Americans. Some twenty-five of the older youth were assigned to specific projects upon the termination of the training session; most were of early college years; the remainder were asked to take initiative in their home communities. Projects were conducted originally in nine communities: Atlanta, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; Rochester and Red Lake, Minnesota; Gallup, New Mexico; Phoenix, Arizona; Niles, Pontiac and Detroit, Michigan; and Montgomery County, Maryland. A later organization of communities for short-term efforts included Melrose Township, Illinois; Rapid City, South Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Huntsville, Alabama; Duluth, Minnesota; Charleston, West Virginia; Nashua, New Hampshire; and a special youth teaching effort occurred in the Eliot-Portsmouth, New Hampshire area in association with Green Acre Bahá’í school. Because of geographical difficulties, the great spirit of the far western youth was essentially untapped this year.
The Atlanta Project[edit]
With characteristic energy the Atlanta, Georgia community mustered a three-faceted human rights program which included an off-the-street school for Negro slum children, a range of direct Bahá’í teaching activities, and a series of one-mankind demonstrations of integration. Nine youth were assigned to the project from Davison: Rogers Williams, Daniel Conner, Jean Stiner, Jean Thompson, Stephen Waite, Peter Johnson, Vera Varner, Jeffery McGurk and Susan Clay. The entire community entered intensively into the full scope of the work, offering loving support in funds, housing, food, hospitality, and labor of many kinds, including a rummage sale. The Atlanta youth fortified the project.
The school — A children’s school was set up in a dilapidated abandoned house in the midst of Atlanta’s most deprived Negro ghetto. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. three age groups of 60-70 children (Redbirds, Sprouts and Seedlings) learned about basic science, hygiene, sex education and comparative religion, including the Bahá’í Faith, using lesson plans of Patricia deBoucher. Music, songs, dancing, skits, prayer memorization and refreshments were the daily fare. Field trips to the zoo, a synagogue, and to Atlanta University were high points. Following a program given by the children for parents and friends (150 attended), a park picnic on August 14 witnessed the happy closing of the eight-week session.
Bahá’í teaching — Door-to-door surveys were undertaken in conjunction with school activities, in the neighborhood of the school and elsewhere. Two invitational surveys were undertaken in middle-class Jewish and middle-class Negro neighborhoods. An adult class was set up for parents and others as a result of the stimulus of the school and the surveys. A “Bahá’í One World Picnic” was held August 16, followed by a public lecture in the Westside YMCA by Jack McCants. There was intensive publicity of many kinds, including radio and news stories. Countless firesides expanded the contacts of the project. A Bahá’í chorus was organized, and provided the spirit for many occasions; there was much impromptu singing. A farewell party for the team by the community and its contacts demonstrated that the Atlanta community itself was revivified by the example of dedication manifested by the youth.
Human Rights Activity — Project members sought to appear in public integrated groups wherever possible. Numerous restaurants, swimming pools, bowling alleys, motion picture houses, parks, and a Baptist Church and Jewish synagogue were integrated by this teaching-through-living. Despite two incidents of unpleasantness, once at the closing day picnic, once at a pool, the reports of the youth, their blithe spirits and ardent tongues as they returned to their homes and colleges reflect their conviction of the progress made in the name of the Faith, through youth intrepidity.
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Four Bahá’í youth members of Atlanta team teaching games to Negro children.
Upon the termination of the project in Atlanta, three
youth spent the August 15-16 week-end in Huntsville,
Alabama, to assist in reaching the Negro community.
A picnic and songfest was held at a Negro church, and
contacts were made to activate Bahá’ís and interest
newcomers. Rogers Williams and William Zucker spent
a teaching week at Frogmore, South Carolina, to lend
their talents to the expansion efforts of that community.
The Rochester-Red Lake (Minnesota) Project[edit]
With the organizing impetus deriving from Kenneth Jeffers (Rochester) and Robert and Norma Cameron (Duluth), a team of youth project members were assigned to Rochester and to the Indian Reservation at Red Lake. The youth included Behzad Zandieh, Diana Beasley, Ernestine White, Charmian Gordon, Claudia Waite, Robert Murray, Jacqueline Ballou and later Glenn Morgan.
The assemblies of Olmsted County and Rochester, Minnesota, cooperated to sponsor a unique eight-day project called “Project ‘Glad Tidings.’ ” In order to test empirically the value of the door-to-door approach, which arouses a great variety of opinion in our national community, two questionnaire designs were developed to be used by interracial survey teams. Both approaches satisfied the high standards of dignity and non-aggressive courtesy which should characterize any public presentation of the Faith. Nearly 1,000 interviews were obtained; almost 100 persons were interested in hearing more about the Faith. Contact cards are being used now in a follow-up program by the two communities. Much was learned about the area surveyed, e.g., over one-half had heard the word “Bahá’í,” and 4% knew of Bahá’u’lláh’s claim to be the return of the Christ Spirit.
The approaches were evaluated and conclusions reached. Few people interviewed were antagonistic; the great majority were friendly and cooperative. The indirect “ad follow-up” design, presented at Davison by Richard Greeley, appeared to be the better of the two approaches. Although the youth were trained to develop skill and confidence by a professional, Kenneth Jeffers, they felt that the interview technique could easily be adopted by Bahá’ís interested in this type of teaching.
Additional results included: (1) A striking newspaper picture of one interracial survey team with accurate remarks about the project and the Faith; (2) a brief news item about the project broadcast by one radio station and a half-hour interview of the entire group by another station; (3) an hour’s discussion with Lieutenant-Governor Keith held in his office.
Red Lake Ponemah[edit]
Transported to Ponemah, central village of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, the group camped out under the guidance of the Camerons. Simple friendship with the Indians, nightly campfires for singing and Bahá’í discussion, and organization of recreation for the idle children attracted the favorable attention of the village. Subtle opposition developed during the first week as the program of activity took form; and the Tribal Council then requested the group to leave, while inviting them to return another summer.
With the untimely collapse of the Red Lake program, the youth moved to Duluth, where for three days they conducted door-to-door informational efforts regarding the Faith, in association with impromptu discussion meetings.
Short Term Teaching Efforts[edit]
Diana Beasley and Ernestine White undertook a week of team-teaching in Quincy and Melrose Township, Illinois. Greatly hampered by the problem of limited publicity because of Covenant-breaker activity, nevertheless direct-contact survey methods informed perhaps a hundred families of the existence of the Faith.
With Karl Borden and Steve Moore, Diana and Ernestine visited Rapid City, South Dakota, where as two interracial teams they surveyed 175 homes, conducted firesides, spoke to the NAACP, and visited contacts in combined sociality-teaching efforts.
En route home, the team spent three days in Sioux Falls South Dakota, again conducting contact surveys, meeting for discussion sessions in teaching the Faith.
A day in Charleston, West Virginia, on August 26 by Borden and Moore added a small increment to the extraordinarily bold effort put forward by lone Donald Basham, Jr., who throughout the summer had been steadily pursuing a door-to-door survey method designed to inform of the Faith and to find receptive persons for community discussion meetings.
Impressions and Comments[edit]
The youth themselves, and the communities and individuals who sponsored them, have been subjected to strenuous and searching Bahá’í experiences, tests of their sincerity and sacrifice. As pilot programs, developed on short-term bases, frequently without adequate forethought or detailed planning, the worth of the many community efforts was very positive. Many new enrollments, many lively and inquiring pre-Bahá’ís, multiplication of Bahá’í discussion groups, development of parent classes to support child-teaching, exposure of the intrinsic merit of service projects in activating individual Bahá’ís and their associates, but most of all the provision of important and sacrificial creative work for the youth ... these have been valuable results. Toughening the moral and intellectual fiber of the youth and their communities in the fire of authentic teaching and service projects has been healthy and rewarding. The projects can be the training ground, in all likelihood, for many of that new crop of hardy pioneers for the Nine Year Plan who will harvest the promises of Bahá’u’lláh.
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Some of those attending the Council Fire of Unity. The picture was taken during an observance held at Manmound near Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Council Fire of Unity Held in Wisconsin Dells[edit]
On July 25 and 26 the Bahá’í group of the Wisconsin Dells was host to the first Council Fire of Unity held in the state of Wisconsin. In preparation 250 posters were printed and distributed locally and a small number were sent to other communities for distribution. The group had had no previous Indian contacts nor had there been any Indian teaching efforts. In addition, there is a generally hostile attitude towards the Indians by the inhabitants of the area. So the attendance of 140 people at the Council was extremely gratifying.
People from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Germany and Írán attended and four Indian tribes, the Winnebago, Sioux, Makah and Ojibway were represented. In addition, there were Japanese, Persians and Negroes. About thirty Indians were present as well as many non-Indian contacts.
The Saturday evening program began with prayers in Winnebago, Persian and English; followed by five speakers who spoke between nine and midnight. The speakers and their topics were: Herbert Suhm of Milwaukee — The Oneness of Mankind, Shinji Yamamoto of Madison — Progressive Revelation, Margaret Clayton of Shorewood — Indian Prophecies, Visions and Dreams as They Pertain to the Bahá’í Faith, Ken Jeffers of Rochester, Minnesota — Personal Experiences with Canadian and American Indians and the Bahá’í Faith. Ken also acted as program co-ordinator.
On Sunday morning all assembled at the Council Fire, formed a twenty car caravan and proceeded to the site of the only known Indian effigy mound built in the form of a man. It is considered to be a special and holy place by the Indians. Prayers were chanted in Persian by Benzod Zandieh. Additional prayers were recited by Jim Borland a Negro Bahá’í, Steve Yamamoto, a Japanese Bahá’í, Richard Feldman, a Jewish Bahá’í and Rita Barbre, a Makah Indian Bahá’í. Francis LeQuier followed with an explanation of the significance of the mound and George Neuzil finished with a short talk and “thank yous.”
The Council Fire was a tremendous success and served several purposes. It introduced the Faith to the Winnebago Indians of the area as well as to many non-Indians; it was a living example of love, unity and brotherhood and it was a means of introducing local contacts to Bahá’ís from neighboring communities. Most important of all, it was accomplished by only two Bahá’ís, George and Lori Neuzil, with the help and loving support of Bahá’ís from the surrounding communities, the nearest of which is fifty-five miles away. This is a marvelous example of what can be accomplished by determination, hard work, prayers and cooperation.
The Bahá’í Community of New Orleans attending a
picnic with their guests at a city park just integrated.
Bahá’ís from Baton Rouge and Gretna also attended
the affair.
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Some of the many attending the First Southern California Bahá’í Summer School held July 5-11 near Los Angeles.
First Southern California Baha’i Summer School Huge Success[edit]
225 Register for Week[edit]
The establishment of the first Southern California Bahá’í Summer School fulfilled the long standing dream of many of the Bahá’ís in the southwest who have worked and prayed for the realization of this goal. The historic week of July 5-11, 1964 took place at the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Conference Grounds in a beautiful wooded canyon near the Pacific Ocean, about an hour’s drive from the center of Los Angeles.
The school program opened Sunday afternoon under the shade of a majestic oak. Jean Villesenor of the Pasadena Community displayed arts and crafts and instructed participating children and adults in nature painting. In the evening the program was continued by David Villesenor who enchanted a crowd of over 200 with a demonstration of Indian Sand Painting around the camp fire.
The daily schedule was a full one: three morning classes each for children, youth and adults. Afternoons there was a choice of recreation or special “sunshine talks” added to take advantage of the special bounty of many visiting Bahá’ís, including Mr. Curtis Kelsey, Auxiliary Board Member, who related personal experiences in the Holy Land with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Auxiliary Board Member, Marc Towers, who told of his pilgrimage to Haifa, and Mrs. Marguerite Sears, who recounted her experiences as a Bahá’í in Africa.
Two Hands of the Cause Present[edit]
Another series of “sunset seminars” were held at 7 o’clock each evening. Hand of the Cause William B. Sears narrated slides taken by Hand of the Cause Faizi in Persia, the first shown in the western world of the Báb’s home in Shiráz, affording the guests a stirring journey to the home of the Báb.
Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery stimulated the friends with challenging talks, reminding all of the uncompromising goals ahead and of the spiritual love the Faith brings out in the true believer. Mrs. Giachery also spoke. Arthur Dahl, member of the National Spiritual Assembly spoke of the tremendous role of the youth in the new Nine Year Plan and of the importance of the Fund. Evening programs were varied and of special interest to all. Mrs. Lilian Ala’i, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, recently returned from Samoa, showed colored movies of pioneering in the South Pacific. A pageant was presented in full costume by the Costa Mesa youth. Mrs. Nura Mobine spoke on the Holy Family.
At a program commemorating the Martyrdom of the Báb on July 9, Mrs. Sara Kenny spoke movingly of this event.
On Friday a human relations panel included a well known consultant to the Los Angeles Human Relations Council, a Rabbi, an Episcopalian Minister and a prominent Los Angeles City Councilman. Color movies and display posters aided in the discussions.
The school closed on Saturday morning with a stirring talk by Paul Pettit, thus ending a week of high spiritual experience for many who had never previously attended a Bahá’í School.
First Spiritual Assembly of Kirkwood, Missouri formed
Riḍván 1964. Left to right, seated: Jane Gardner, Ruth
Thompson, Florence Kohn (secretary), Carol Vaughn.
Standing: George Thompson (chairman), Joseph Dickerson, James Russell, Steve Stewart, Gilbert Kohn.
First Spiritual Assembly of Hillsborough County, Florida formed Riḍván 1964.
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Despite the inclement weather the Makah Club Indian Dancers perform their ceremonial dances at the Second Annual Council Fire in Neah Bay, Washington.
Second Council Fire Demonstrates Unity of Man[edit]
On August 1 and 2, the Makah Indian Bahá’ís were host to over 360 people, 89 of whom were not Bahá’ís, for the second annual Council Fire on the Makah Reservation at Neah Bay, Washington. Visitors came from six states and Canada, and nine Indian tribes were represented — Navaho, Toppenish, Stella, Ehatasett, Thlinget, Wenache, Yakima, Klallam, and Makah. Forty-five Makah Indians registered, more than doubling last year’s attendance.
Early Saturday afternoon the Makah Club favored the assembled crowd with a number of their sacred Indian dances. The opening address was given by National Spiritual Assembly member, Paul Pettit, followed by Auxiliary Board Member, Marc Towers. Franklyn and Mary Jane Kahn, Navaho Bahá’ís from Flagstaff, Arizona spoke, and we heard also from the American Indian Service Committee’s representative, Calvin Thur. Vinson Brown of California returned again this year to speak of Indian prophecies and legends, and numerous greetings from assembled guests and those unable to attend were given or read throughout the meeting. One declaration was made Saturday afternoon. The two day program was co-operately chaired by Makah, William Tyler; Persian, Shamsi Afnan of Kitsap Co. No. 1; and recently returned pioneer from Unalaska, Alaska, Jenabe Caldwell.
After the delicious baked salmon dinner prepared by the Makahs Saturday evening, a community sing began around the huge fire and accounts from those making pilgrimages to the Bahá’í Holy Shrines were given.
The program resumed following the Sunday morning pancake breakfast and continued until noon with many of the speakers of Saturday returning to the platform. Throughout the two day meeting, the many races present confirmed, with love and harmony, the oneness of mankind.
Annual picnic of the Chicago Bahá’í Community held August 9 at the Dan Ryan Forest Preserve. 500 Bahá’ís and guests attended.
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Those attending Southeastern Bahá’í School pause from busy schedule for photo.
Southeast School Held in Blue Ridge Mountains[edit]
A week of study and loving fellowship was shared by 175 Bahá’ís and friends who gathered in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains June 28-July 4 for the Southeastern Bahá’í Summer School. Participants arrived from places as distant as Alaska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, New York and Florida.
Hand of the cause Zikru’llah Khádem and Auxiliary Board Member Mrs. Velma Sherril conducted classes in Bahá’í History and Bahá’í Administration. Other classes were: “The Theory and Practice of Prayer” conducted by Janet Cutler, “Reaching Ready Souls” by William Allison and “Bahá’í Unity at Work” by Mrs. Jane McCants. Mrs. McCants also told of the summer youth projects being conducted in Atlanta, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina and other locations. Duane and Mary Dumbleton conducted the afternoon sessions for the youth. The children’s presentation of songs and prayers delighted everyone.
During the final meeting on Saturday morning, Jack McCants told of his recent pilgrimage to the World Center in Haifa.
Bahá’í Delegates Attend U.N. Conference[edit]
The Non-Governmental Organizations Conference held at United Nations Headquarters May 26 and 27 was an inspiring experience from a Bahá’í point of view as an example of unity in action for here there was at least an embryonic expression of the urging of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to “be as one soul in many bodies,” the single earnest motivation being the welfare of society.
The keynote of the conference was the cooperation of the NGO’s with the United Nations Office of Public Information regarding dissemination of information about the United Nations. Subjects discussed were: the International Cooperation Year; the U.N. and Maintenance of Peace; United Nations and Human Rights, particularly the policies of apartheid in South Africa; Campaign of Freedom from Hunger, Disease and Ignorance; Economics and Industrial Development of Under-developed Countries; briefings from the Specialized Agencies, and information on the United Nations Development Decade.
Of particular interest was the address by U.N. Secretary General U Thant in which he outlined the logical procedure in solving problems as being that of “Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis.” In other words, the dispassionate weighing of pro and con, and then the consideration of the interests of majority and minority in the light of justice.
Two Bahá’í delegations were in attendance at this conference, one representing the Bahá’í International Community and the other, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.
Newly formed Spiritual Assembly of Culver Judicial
District, California. Left to right, seated: Juanita Johnson, Sara Williams, Erma Reitan. Standing: Lemuel
Henderson, Joseph Williams, Victor Tom, Eugene Johnson and Tom Millington. Fred Ward was absent.
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Spiritual Assembly of Odessa, Texas incorporated June
22, 1964. Left to right, standing: Gerald Livermore,
Pedro Tijerina, Edmon Couch, Richard Wright, Fred
Ball. Seated: Mrs. Betty Couch, Mrs. Geneva Bell, Mrs.
Jonnie Faye Tijinera. Absent: Mrs. Mary Louise Wright.
State of South Dakota Recognizes Bahá’í Marriages[edit]
A most important recognition by the State of South Dakota of the independent character of the Bahá’í Faith appeared in a recent Associated Press release emanating from a ruling on August 24 by the State’s Attorney General Frank Farrar, that officers of local spiritual assemblies in the state are permitted under state law to perform marriage ceremonies. The state law allows certain judicial, county and municipal officers to perform marriage ceremonies, as well as ministers of the gospel or priests of any denomination.
In making his ruling Mr. Farrar stated: “Those persons authorized by the Bahá’í faith to solemnize marriages, according to the practices of their religion, are ‘ministers of the Gospel’ within the meaning of state law.”
This brings to thirty-one the number of states in Continental United States where the Bahá’í marriage certificate is legally recognized. A goal of the Nine Year Plan is to achieve such recognition in the remaining seventeen states.
News Briefs[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Detroit were represented by five believers and five guests at the recent Roger Baldwin testimonial dinner held in Detroit, Michigan. The dinner was to commemorate Mr. Baldwin’s 80th birthday and the 44th Anniversary of the American Civil Liberties Union which he founded in 1920. Roger Baldwin is an outstanding American who has spent the major portion of his life defending the rights and liberties of individuals and the causes, both popular and unpopular, which they espoused. He has defended Margaret Sanger, the birth-control pioneer, Henry Ford, Gerald L. K. Smith, the late Senator Taft, Norman Thomas and Ross Barnett. In addition, he spoke out for the persecuted Bahá’ís during the Persian and Moroccan persecutions. It was because of this that the National Assembly took a half page paid ad in the program paying tribute to Mr. Baldwin as “Champion of the rights of man on numberless legal battlefields,” and sent greetings and gratitude on behalf of the Bahá’ís of the United States. At the dinner, the Bahá’ís were represented by a table of ten and at the end of the ceremonies presented Mr. Baldwin with a bouquet of roses.
At a program of student compositions presented on May 26 at the University of Oregon, Don Addison performed on the piano his composition “To the Martyrs of Nayriz.” After the performance there was considerable comment and questions about the Faith which continued at the public forum discussion, moderated by the Dean of the School of Music, which was held immediately following the program.
The Evanston, Illinois, Assembly recently sponsored an all day institute, the theme of which was “Living a Bahá’í Life.” The institute was divided into two parts: (1) Living a Bahá’í life outside the Bahá’í community and (2) Living a Bahá’í life within the community. A multitude of related topics were discussed and the day ended with a presentation of Bahá’í consultation and a review of basic Bahá’í laws and observances. Programs were sent in advance with a letter encouraging attendance and follow-up phone calls were made. As a result there was almost 100% participation.
The Bahá’ís of Long Beach, California, have initiated an excellent “Book-A-Month” program which they highly recommend to all local spiritual assemblies. The program has three purposes: (1) to encourage deepening by individual reading; (2) to encourage use of the local and national library services, and (3) to encourage individuals to build up their own personal Bahá’í libraries.
Islip Township (New York) Local Spiritual Assembly
formed Riḍván 1964. Left to right, standing: Massoud
Eghrari, Isabella Eghrari, Rene Martin, Phyllis Morris,
George Morris. Seated: Aida Troy, Juliana Wyatt,
Muriel Martin, Doris Mercier.
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Each Bahá’í month the librarian selects a book and
obtains a supply to have available at the Nineteen-Day Feast. For the present she is emphasizing the less
expensive ones but she asks for and accepts suggestions from the other members of the community
for other books. The book of the month is on display
on a special display card, obtained from a drug store
where it had been used for a cosmetics display. During the consultation part of the Feast the Librarian
calls attention to the book and tells briefly about its
contents. She also suggests that those who do not have
a copy of the book purchase one and those who do have
a copy to get it out and that all Bahá’ís read it during
the next nineteen days. If there is time or a desire for
it, the assembly has provided that a few minutes be
allowed at this point in the Feast for brief discussion
of the book for the previous month.
An International Youth Camp-out and Conference
First Spiritual Assembly of Escondido, California
formed April 20, 1964. Left to right, back: Louis Mascali, Alice Clemmer, Annie McGuire, Gayle Ames,
Eugene Hicks. Front: Erma Haukedahl, Truella Hicks,
Lillian Gregory and Lula Vawter.
First Spiritual Assembly of Clovis, New Mexico. Left
to right, standing: Sgt. Phillip Edwards, Sgt. Richard
Rehling, Gerald Wright, Lt. Col. John McHenry, Sgt.
John Hauser. Seated: Thomas Beker, Mrs. Fay Dudley,
Mrs. Anne Rehling, Mrs. Elizabeth McHenry.
First Spiritual Assembly of Davis, California formed
Riḍván 1964. Left to right, seated: Fay Eggert, Fred
Seibel, (chairman), Charlotte Grover. Standing: Margaret Seibel (secretary), Joseph Savage (vice-chairman), Sandra Woodead (recording secretary), Karen
Woodead (treasurer), James De Moss, Mary Greenblatt.
was held June 19-21 in the Green Mountains near Rochester, Vermont. Eight Bahá’í youth, adults and their
friends from a ten state area were present. Talks and
discussions were on such topics as: the history and
basic principles of the Faith, the problem of racial
prejudice in the United States today, and opportunities
and responsibilities of the Nine Year Plan. One of the
highlights of the Conference was a sunrise prayer service held on the summit of Mount Cushman.
Seymour Weinberg, author of The Lord is One, spoke about the Bahá’í Faith at the International House of the University of Denver on July 10 as part of a Great World Religions series. On the following week he was asked to speak at a program commemorating the birth of Muhammed which was also held at the International House. The head of the Muslim community in Denver publicly praised Bahá’u’lláh and later told Mr. Weinberg that his father had met Bahá’u’lláh in prison in Acca. In addition, many of the Muslim students from both Denver University and the University of Colorado expressed their appreciation to Mr. Weinberg for his talk and the students from the University of Colorado said that they hoped that he would be able to address their group in Boulder, Colorado.
The New York City community has started a Spanish class taught by Lionel Gonzalez for Bahá’ís wishing to pioneer in Spanish speaking countries. Since several non-Bahá’ís have joined the class it has proven to be an excellent teaching medium. Mr. Gonzalez reads Bahá’í prayers in Spanish and uses Bahá’í literature in the class. In addition, he has instructed the class to attend Bahá’í meetings which are held in Spanish.
BAHA'I IN THE NEWS[edit]
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National Bahá’í Addresses
Please Address Mail Correctly! National Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters: National Treasurer: Bahá’í Publishing Trust: Bahá’í News: |
The July 3 edition of the Uganda Argus (Uganda, Africa) contained an outstanding one half page article about the Faith. The headline was, Bahá’í Houses of Worship in four Continents, and the article was flanked by photographs of the four Temples and a description of the features which they hold in common and the purpose for which they were built. A quotation from the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was included, “The real temple is the very word of God: for to it all humanity must turn, and it is the center of unity for all mankind ....” The article began with a brief historical sketch of the origins of the Faith and continued with an exposition of its basic teachings. It emphasized the universality of the Faith and traced the social and spiritual evolution of man from the family and tribe to the nation. “Not only do Bahá’ís believe that the purpose of God for this day is that man should recognize the true oneness of humanity,” the article states, “but that the ultimate and complete unification of mankind is not only essential but inevitable. They believe that nothing short of the power and design of God can succeed in accomplishing the establishment of a truly united world community.” The article concludes with an excellent exposition of the social and spiritual teachings of the Faith. A notice at the end of the page invited readers to a special service held at the Kampala Temple on July 4 celebrating the occasion of the dedication of the Temple in Frankfurt. This was one of the finest articles about the Bahá’í Faith yet seen in a non-Bahá’í publication.
Two newspaper articles featured stories and photographs of the Wilmette Bahá’í Temple. The story in the June 21 edition of the Chicago American was full of inaccuracies. However the story in The London Free Press; London, Ontario, Canada contained a very good description of the Temple and the surrounding gardens and was very sympathetically written. The writer concluded: “We were most grateful for the generous replies to our questions. What impressed us most, however, was one of their principles: ‘Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own-selves.’ ”
A short movie film, “Israel by Sea,” distributed by Sterling-Movies U.S.A., Inc., Chicago, devoted largely to advertising of a steamship line, closes the narrative with an effective view of the Bahá’í gardens at the Bahá’í World Center, and an excellent comment concerning them.
Calendar of Events[edit]
- FEASTS
- October 16 — ‘Ilm (Knowledge)
- November 4 — Qudrat (Power)
- HOLY DAY
- October 20 — Birth of the Báb
- PROCLAMATION EVENT
- October 24 — United Nations Day
- U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS
- November 20-22
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
- Weekdays
- 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Auditorium only)
- Sundays and Holidays
- 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Entire building)
- Sundays
- 3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
- Sunday, October 18
- 4:15 p.m.
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: James Cloonan, Managing Editor; Mrs. Lilian Cloonan, Assistant Editor; Mrs. Eunice Braun, International Editor; Miss Charlotte 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.
