Bahá’í News/Issue 455/Text
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| No. 455 | BAHA’I YEAR 125 | FEBRUARY, 1969 |
Louis G. Gregory 1874 — 1951
The Story of Louis G. Gregory[edit]
THE MEMORY OF LOUIS G. GREGORY has been honored by the establishment in 1968 of the Louis G. Gregory Award for Service to Humanity. This award, established by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States was given in December 1968 as part of the observance of International Human Rights Year.
Louis Gregory was born in Charleston, South Carolina, June 6, 1874. His father died when he was five years of age; until his mother married again matters were difficult for her and her two sons, and they were sometimes hungry. Early in his time Louis Gregory learned what cruel pressures life could bring. The eager happy adventure of his childhood was marred by violence and hate when, on one terrible night, a hate inspired mob of white men seized and lynched his grandfather. His step-father was kind to him and when he became a youth apprenticed him to a tailor. Later his step-father paid the expenses of his first year at Fisk University, and Louis supported himself and put himself through this university by obtaining scholarships, by work at cleaning, pressing and tailoring for the students, and sometimes working as a waiter during the summer vacations.
After he graduated from Fisk he taught at Avery Institute, a small private school maintained by people from the North to help students of exceptional intellectual capacity. He had studied there as a young boy. After this period of teaching, he began the study of law at Howard University receiving his LL.B. degree March 26, 1902.
When he had passed the necessary examinations he began the practice of law in Washington, D.C. where he formed a partnership with another lawyer, James A. Cobb. They continued as law partners until 1906 when Louis took a position with the United States Treasury Department. James A. Cobb, later appointed Judge of the District Court, (one of the first Negro judges in Washington, D.C.), has written of Louis Gregory:
It was my privilege to have known Mr. Gregory intimately from 1895 until a short time before his passing. I knew him as a student, teacher, practicing lawyer, lecturer and friend, and in each capacity he was strong and outstanding. In other words, he was a fine student, a lovely character and a person with a great mind which he devoted to the betterment of mankind. Those of us who knew him well cannot but mourn his loss, but there should be some comfort in the fact that he lived long and well, and those with whom he came in contact were and are better for their association with him. In fact, he was one of those who enriched the life of America.
Louis first heard about the Bahá’í Faith while he was employed with the Government in 1908. It was Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hannen, Bahá’ís of Washington, D.C., who taught him and exemplified by their lives the beauty of the Teachings, thereby attracting his heart. In a Tablet to him, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called upon him to become the cause of guidance of both the white and the colored races.
In 1911 he visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Bahá’í shrines in the Holy Land of Haifa and ‘Akká.
He was a speaker at the first Conference for Amity and Unity between the white and colored peoples held in Washington, D.C., May 19-21, 1921 and sponsored by the American Bahá’ís. This was the prototype of many similar meetings held in cities, large and small, throughout the United States and Canada in years to come.
It is probable that no individual teacher in the Bahá’í Faith has traveled more extensively throughout the United States than Mr. Gregory. Living in the utmost simplicity, sacrificing at every turn, he spoke in schools, colleges, churches, forums, conferences and with individuals throughout the land. With a marvelous blending of humility and courage, of tenderness and adamantine firmness and steadfastness, he met high and low, rich and poor, educated and ignorant, and gave them of the cup of the Water of Life. He spoke in Protestant, Catholic and Jewish schools and before nondenominational groups.
For more than thirty years Louis Gregory was the mainspring behind the work for Race Amity. Whether as chairman of the Bahá’í National Committee for Race Unity or as a member, and he was either one or the other for a great many years, or as an individual, he was tireless in his activities in promoting unity. He was a friend of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. He married Louisa Mathew, a white English Bahá’í. They were brought together by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Their marriage presented many challenges, but it endured.
In 1922 he became one of the nine original members of the first National Assembly elected by the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. He continued service with the National Bahá’í Assembly for 24 years.
Louis Gregory died on July 30, 1951 and in death, even as in life, he brought the races together. There were expressions of love and inspiration which came from all parts of the world. He was buried in Eliot, Maine near the Green Acre Bahá’í School.
He was bestowed the great honor of being named a Hand of the Cause of God by the Guardian.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá said of him: “He is like pure gold. That is why he is acceptable in any market, and is current in every country.”
Note: The above is taken in part from Bahá’í World, vol. XII, pp. 666-670 and pamphlet Above All Barriers, by Elsie Austin.
Banquet Honors Workers for Human Rights[edit]
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE in its Riḍván 1964 Message set as a goal for the World Center the development of the relationship between the Bahá’í Community and the United Nations. Since the year 1968 had been designated by the United Nations Security Council as International Year for Human Rights, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States chose Human Rights as the central theme for its proclamation activities in that year. In doing so it not only assisted toward achieving this goal but also furthered the world-wide proclamation called for in the 1967 Riḍván Message. At the Intercontinental Conference in Chicago, October, 1967 a statement was issued by the American Bahá’í Community: “Human Rights Are God Given Rights.” To implement the statement the North American Bahá’í Office for Human Rights was established in Wilmette and this Office was active during 1968 in promoting activities in this field. In June 1968 the Office sponsored ten regional conferences in key cities in the United States, covering various aspects of human rights and in September there was held in Chicago a three day National Conference on Human Rights. The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, in cooperation with the United Nations Association sponsored the publication of a pamphlet, “Human Rights — Basis for World Peace,” a half million copies of which have been distributed through many national organizations.
A Fitting Climax[edit]
As a fitting climax to this year of extensive activities a National Human Rights Awards Banquet was held in Washington, D.C. on December 10 sponsored by the North American Bahá’í Office for Human Rights. Attended by some 600 persons it was deemed an outstanding success. In a letter about the outcome of the Awards Banquet, the Universal House of Justice said, “We feel that the American Community and your Assembly are to be highly commended for the initiative shown in using the Human Rights Year to further your proclamation activities.”
The banquet was held in the beautiful and spacious International Ballroom Center of the Washington Hilton. Preceding the banquet a reception was held in the Jefferson Room of the hotel to honor the awardees. The reception was hosted by members of the National Spiritual Assembly and was attended by distinguished guests and news media personnel from the Washington, D.C. area.
Recipients of Awards[edit]
The Xerox Corporation of Rochester, New York and Clark M. Eichelberger, Chairman of the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, with offices in New York City, each received the Louis G. Gregory Award for Service to Humanity for 1968.
The Xerox Corporation received the award for its outstanding public service on behalf of international understanding and human rights for the period 1964 to
Principal speaker Judge A. Leon Higgenbotham, Jr.
1968. Xerox was cited for its sponsorship of a television
series on the United Nations in 1964-65. In 1968, Xerox
issued a major policy statement which reflected a commitment to a program of action at all levels in an intensified minority hiring program ranging from professional ranks to training hard-core unemployables. In
1968 Xerox and an action organization in Rochester
jointly announced plans to establish an inner city business operated and owned by black Americans and which
would employ up to 100 black people to start with in its
first year. Xerox is providing the job training, management and technical expertise for the new company’s
initial operation and has guaranteed $500,000 in purchases during the first two years of operation. In 1968
Xerox also sponsored the seven-part television series
“Of Black America.” This widely acclaimed series was
cited as helping to close some of the gaps of understanding that separate black and white America and
setting the record straight on the history and contributions of black Americans.
Mr. Eichelberger received the award for his long years of distinguished service for the advancement of international understanding and cooperation and the furtherance of human rights. He served with the League of Nations and as national director of the League of Nations Association. He was a consultant to the U. S. Delegation to the 1945 Conference in San Francisco to organize the United Nations. He served as national director of the American Association for the United Nations. He was one of the founders of the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, later its director for many years and now is its chairman. His work in the human rights field included efforts that made contributions to the human rights statements in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. His most recent efforts included
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overseeing the drafting and publication of a special
report on The United Nations and Human Rights and
his assistance in planning the World Assembly for
Human Rights held in Montreal in March 1968.
Principal Speaker[edit]
Principal speaker at the banquet was Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., Vice-Chairman of the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. Judge Higginbotham is presently judge of the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 1962 he was appointed to a seven year term as a Commissioner for the Federal Trade Commission. He was the first Negro to be a member at Commission level of any Federal regulatory agency and the youngest person to be named Commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. He spoke on “Law and Order — Justice or Hypocrisy.” In his talk he stressed that while we have law and order we still lack justice. He praised the Bahá’ís for their awards and called for more action in support of human rights.
The Program[edit]
Chairman of the banquet was Arthur Dahl of Pebble Beach, California, former treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. The opening prayer was read by Mrs. Soo Fouts of Fairfax, Virginia. Presentation of the award to Mr. Eichelberger was made by Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly and by National Spiritual Assembly member Franklin Kahn of Flagstaff, Arizona. The award to Xerox Corporation representative, John P. Guttenberg, Jr., Manager Urban and Community Affairs, was given by Dr. Daniel Jordan, vice chairman of the National Assembly and Dr. Sarah M. Pereira National Assembly member from Washington D.C.
Finley Hollinger, a Bahá’í prominent in radio and television, from Hollywood, California was master of ceremonies for the entertainment program which was provided by the two noted Hollywood stars: Miss Geraldine Jones and Vic Damone. The program was a delight to those attending and demonstrated the depth of the spirit of the Faith, both for laughter and for moments that are deeply moving. The gifted Bahá’í entertainers stirred the hearts of the audience and left memories that will not be erased.
Many Noted Guests[edit]
Among the distinguished guests were representatives of: the United National Association of Washington, D.C.; Amnesty International; the Library of Congress; Department of State; National Federation of Federal Employees; Office of Economic Opportunity; World Law for World Order; Federal Interagency Commission on Education; Howard University; President’s Commission on Civil Rights; Urban League; National Association of Education Broadcasters; Bureau of Indian Affairs; International Monetary Fund; Johns Hopkins University; N.A.A.C.P.; Department of Health Education and Welfare; and the Government of the District of Columbia. Also attending were the Ambassador of Israel and representatives of the governments of Uganda and of West Germany.
Excellent News Coverage[edit]
The National Broadcasting Company covered the banquet with their television cameras and the Voice of America recorded the program for use over their outlets at a later date. Several other news organizations were also present.
On the following day Vic Damone appeared on one of the major television stations (WMAL-TV) on the “Here’s Barbara” show and spoke for fifteen minutes on the Bahá’í Faith. As a result the station was flooded with calls asking for information on the Faith. The callers were referred to the Bahá’í Center in Washington, D.C. for further information.
Banquet arrangements were under the direction of a committee appointed by the Spiritual Assembly of Washington, D.C. and the North American Bahá’í Office for Human Rights.
Glimpses of the Banquet[edit]
Vic Damone gives his autograph.
Miss Geraldine Jones entertains the audience.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Glenford Mitchell, John Guttenberg, Judge Higgenbotham, Clark Eichelberger.
Sanchangli, Korea — First to Incorporate, Build Center[edit]
Something new has happened in the Bahá’í community of Korea! The Bahá’ís of Sanchangli, with their own hands, have built a Center. The entire village donated the land, about 200 pyongs, and the National Spiritual Assembly contributed toward the cost of this one-story, two-room building. In order for the Bahá’ís of Sanchangli to have full ownership of the building, the National Assembly arranged for this Local Spiritual Assembly to be duly incorporated, which makes it the first incorporated Local Spiritual Assembly in Korea. This means that the Sanchangli Community is first in two categories: to build and own its own Center, and to become incorporated. By so doing, they have made the first steps towards fulfilling two of the Nine Year Goals set by the Universal House of Justice, in 1964. These are: establish twenty-five incorporated local spiritual assemblies; and build three local Bahá’í centers by 1973.
On November 3, at the Feast of Power, a dedication ceremony was held in Sanchangli at the new Center, which is situated in the very heart of the village. The ceremony was seemingly attended by all of the 300 inhabitants. Seventy people, (many of whom were women, demonstrating that the Bahá’ís of Sanchangli are beginning to put into practice the Bahá’í principle of the equality of the sexes), were seated inside the building. Others, including many children, made a sea of faces outside the open doors and windows. After the spiritual part of the Feast, during which many prayers were read, congratulatory speeches were made by those who came from out-of-town for the ceremony: Auxiliary Board member, Mr. Yang Jae-Ho, two National Assembly members, the chairman and the treasurer, Mr. and Mrs. John S. McHenry, and Suh Chul-Min, who is one of four dedicated Bahá’ís who, through much sacrifice, devote all their time to teaching the Faith. Gifts were presented to the chairman of the local Spiritual Assembly, Mr. Park, by Mr. McHenry on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly, consisting of two good-sized framed photographs, one of the Shrine of the Báb and the other a portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (both photos having been sent to Korea from Japan by a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia), a small hand-woven Persian rug, with a design of the Greatest Name surrounded by a nine-pointed star (a gift of Mr. A. Mavaddat, who brought it from Persia in September), and 100 Greatest Name plaques, black on white (gifts from the Assistant Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, to be distributed by the Local Spiritual Assembly to Bahá’í families, and 150 Bahá’í pins (also sent from Japan) to be given to individual Bahá’ís.
Following the speeches, which included acknowledgment of thanks by the Local Spiritual Assembly Chairman, Mr. Park, colored slides of the Bahá’í Holy Places in Haifa and ‘Akká and scenes of the land of Israel were shown. Because of the large audience, the slides were shown outside on an improvised canvas screen propped against the Microbus, which is a gift presented this past year to the National Spiritual Assembly of Korea.
The Local Spiritual Assembly members, who met privately after the meeting with Mr. Yang, Mr. and Mrs. McHenry and Mr. Suh, made known that most of their Assembly members are also members of the village council — the Assembly secretary is the village chief — and that more than half of the villagers are Bahá’ís. The Local Spiritual Assembly goal is to have all inhabitants of the village become Bahá’ís. In the meantime, the Bahá’í Center, in a gesture of mutual cooperation and goodwill, is to be used for all joint community activities.
LEFT: Bahá’í Center at Sanchangli, Korea. At left is Auxiliary Board member Mr. Yang Jae-Ho and in front, full time teacher, Mr. Suh Chul-Min. The others are members of the Local Spiritual Assembly and of the Village Council. RIGHT: Part of the overflow audience which attended the dedication ceremony on November 3.
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Mr. Speranza, the pianist, plays at the Theatro Novelli in
Rimini for the Proclamation Conference on Nov. 8, 1968.
Sitting at the podium are the speaker, Prof. Bausani and Mr.
Robiati, chairman. The sign reads: The earth is one country
and mankind its citizens.
Proclamation in Rimini, Italy Followed by Teaching Conference[edit]
A Proclamation meeting held at the town theater in Rimini, Italy, November 8, 1968, stimulated a lively discussion period with many pertinent questions asked. About 250 people were present from Rimini and the nearby Republic of San Marino. Invitations were sent to leading citizens of both places, displays and posters were distributed throughout the area, and articles appeared in the principal newspapers. A pleasant, added attraction was a piano recital, with the pianist presenting a composition entitled “Bahá’í Poem” which he had composed for the occasion. Though he is not a Bahá’í he explained how he had been inspired by Bahá’í ideals to compose the piece. Prof. Bausani was the guest speaker.
Book display in Rimini’s largest bookstore during the week
of the Proclamation Conference. The sign reads: The Bahá’í
Faith proclaims the unity of mankind.
Teaching Conference[edit]
Mr. Piarulli and Mr. Holmlund, Auxiliary Board members, gave a report on the meeting with the Continental Board members, held recently in Luxembourg, at a Teaching Conference in Rimini, November 9-10. The goals of the Nine Year Plan were carefully studied with consultation on ways to fill them. A teacher training institute is scheduled to be held in Bari in January to develop new teachers to assist in the consolidation work urgent at this time. For example, Palermo, site of the Intercontinental Conference in August, 1968 has had an intensive teaching project in deepening and confirming the many seekers and newly declared believers.
Friends attending the National Teaching Conference in Rimini, Italy November 9-10, 1968.
Letters to the Editor[edit]
The following letter to the editors of BAHÁ’Í NEWS is
shared with the thought that it may inspire others to
use the news as well as pictures from all over the
Bahá’í world to assist and make more effective their
teaching activities. It is written by an American pioneer who has served for a number of years in Latin
America, first in Colombia and later in San Andres
Island off the coast of Nicaragua.
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
For sometime I have contemplated writing you a letter to express appreciation for BAHÁ’Í NEWS. My husband and I as well as many other pioneers I have talked with when we chance to meet, find that the BAHÁ’Í NEWS with its stories and pictures is of inestimable value in our Bahá’í activities and often the only media of contact we have with the “outside world.” When it arrives we find the most comfortable, quietest place available that our spirit might be free to soar as we literally “devour it,” that is, the activities and accomplishments of the Bahá’ís in the service of the Cause throughout the world. Thus, it gives us a greater incentive to go out and compete with our consecrated confederates, as the Beloved Master pleads with us to do, to conquer the hearts of the planet.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is a visible, tangible link that unites those of us in foreign countries, some isolated with no one to consult with, often no telephones available, with the Bahá’í world. How many times the answer to a question that one has been pondering over, or in some cases urgently needing (the pioneer being situated in a locale where the media of communication are inadequate) is found in the BAHÁ’Í NEWS, which seems sometimes to arrive just in the “nick” of time. It works itself through many a ‘maze’ in this world.
The contents of BAHÁ’Í NEWS play a tremendous role in teaching. It is wonderful that you remember the thousands and thousands of indigenous Bahá’ís who are so poverty stricken that they are never able to leave their particular locale. Those of us who are privileged to carry Bahá’u’lláh’s Message to them must use every avenue possible to convey the spirit of the Cause to them; the fact that they now “really belong” to a world family, that they are loved, and that they are equal before God and man. We show visible evidence of this through pictures in BAHÁ’Í NEWS. I have asked friends in the United States who had extra copies to donate some to us for teaching purposes. We cut the pictures out and make picture albums with captions and localities intact. We also use photographs and picture postcards. We carry these albums or visual aides with us on our daily teaching trips and use them as an introduction to the Faith. Often those who are reluctant to talk with ‘strangers’ initially, gather around when they see the pictures. They are either impressed or suspicious until we convince them they are real, then the questions begin such as, where can such heterogeneous groups be found when there is so much racial strife and national and international conflicts? This is a literal translation, but one should not be overwhelmed over such questions from so called ‘backward people’, for in spite of the fact they seldom see a newspaper and some rarely hear a radio, or come in contact with people of the ‘outside world’, they are well aware of what is going on in the world that concerns the well-being of mankind. There is no doubt at all, when around these friends, that their wisdom comes from a Higher Source than the wisdom acquired from academic learning. Such questions however provide a cue to us to tell them about Bahá’u’lláh and His teachings for all men. We stress the oneness aspect of the teachings, which is so often vividly portrayed through the group pictures in the BAHÁ’Í NEWS; that He teaches us that we all are one people; and that we must go and tell all our family throughout the world that He has come to unite us through His love.
It is heartwarming to see the Indians, the people of African descent who live in the ‘bush’, the peasants in the pueblos and others, faces light up when they see people like themselves in BAHÁ’Í NEWS or in slides. They point them out with such great delight and talk (often reverting to their native tongue or patois). Often they take these pictures and study them intently as one would study a book. And many, as you no doubt know, have arisen, no longer feeling restricted because of the poverty of their immediate surroundings, and have taken their folders of pictures and visual aids and gone out into the world and are bringing in hundreds of sheep to the fold of Bahá’u’lláh. Others, not having these aids have gone out with only a prayer in their hearts and “inner sight.”
Again I must stress more about the group pictures, especially the indigenous groups since we have been able to use them so effectively. They tell the Indians in particular, and the other minority groups, about the Oneness of Mankind, when all their experiences have been to the contrary. Here they see it in action. Not infrequently when the “civilizados” see these photographs they ask, “Aren’t you afraid of those Indians — they are wild you know? Don’t they eat people? Aren’t the white people afraid?” Such questions lead to further teaching opportunities and enable the pioneer to use Bahá’u’lláh’s words which heal the illnesses of prejudices and ignorance and help to unite many hostile divergent groups which have hitherto held each other in contempt.
I feel confident that many pioneers and Bahá’í teachers will join me in expressing gratitude and appreciation to the staff for the yeoman service it is rendering by making our teaching efforts more effective and by bringing “home” a little closer to us, especially in our moments of reflection when we need to feel that someone “really cares.”
—Helen Jacobs Hornby
Bahá’í Display at German Book Fair[edit]
Frankfurt, Germany Book Fair held September 19-24, 1968, showing Bahá’í booth with exhibit of books from Germany, Belgium and England. Photo at right shows display of a Bahá’í book, Der Gespaltene Himmel, by Huschmand Sabet, published by Verbum-Verlag.
Public Interest Stirred by El Salvador Exhibit[edit]
The International Fair of El Salvador is a biennial event which has become a show window for all of Central America. This year the fair, in which twenty-three nations participated, drew 400,000 people during the last three weeks of November.
With a great deal of hope as well as uncertainty, the National Spiritual Assembly of El Salvador appointed a committee to prepare an exhibition booth for the fair. Once the decision was made, the time, talent and funds seemed to pour forth in splendid collaboration, and from the first day the venture was felt by all to be a success. One man, taking in the exhibit, exclaimed: “This is what God wants!” Questions and discussions kept the friends attending the booth busy. More than 37,000 pamphlets were distributed and careful follow up of all interested persons is in operation. A successful press conference was planned by Dr. Rose Mangapis and several reporters came to view the exhibit.
A special surprise was the visit of Hand of the Cause of God, Ugo Giachery, who addressed two meetings, one open to the public, and helped in other Proclamation events.
The National Assembly of El Salvador believes this event has considerably boosted the possibilities of early fulfillment of their Nine Year goals.
At the Exhibit in El Salvador.
Know Your Bahá’í Literature[edit]
Stanwood Cobb
Book Review
This book declares that the world is confused and
chaotic today because humanity has failed to discover
creative leadership on a planetary scale, capable of
moving all mankind into a new era of peace and world
order. Only the world’s great spiritual figures, rising in
every age with a message for all humanity, have been
able to mould and advance civilizations.
Such a leader, the author states, arose in the 19th century with a practical spiritual message, releasing that spiritual dynamic into human consciousness that shapes world events. Bahá’u’lláh, a Persian name meaning the ‘Glory of God’ was born in Teheran, Írán, early in the 19th century, a son of the Minister of the State under the Sháh. But it was the path of religious and humanitarian reform that Bahá’u’lláh chose to follow, leading to severe persecution, exile and finally incarceration in the prison of ‘Akká in the Holy Land.
Among the basic practical teachings which Bahá’u’lláh promulgated were the need of an international world tribunal, adoption of a universal auxiliary language, the basic unity of all the world’s revealed religions, and the abandonment of all prejudice and superstition.
The author, educator and world traveller, who was founder of the Progressive Education Association in 1919, states that these teachings were not given as a philosophic or sociological treatise, but rather as the result of prophetic vision, whose culminating achievement will be a “humanity at last come of age ... mature enough to follow a planetary program and to construct the long-dreamed-of edifice of world brotherhood which prophets have forecast, philosophers discussed and poets dreamed of.”
While the world is at present astir with these ideals and some have already been put into practice, it will come as a surprise to many to learn that these concepts and others, such as the essential harmony of science and religion, equality of men and women, a plan of industrial profit-sharing based on a pre-determined share of the net profits to labor, and others, were being taught by an Oriental prisoner, with no formal schooling whatever, as early as 1860. It is also startling to know that this message of a unitary solution to the world’s problems was first given by this lone, visionary figure in a series of letters to the rulers of the western world.
It is the “spiritual dynamic” released by the Prophet of God that is viewed by the author as the most vital and least understood ingredient needed urgently today as a leavening for a disintegrating society. There can be no new orientation of loyalties needed to produce this planetary society without such spiritual motivation. First, there must be a vitalizing love for all humanity based on the principle of the “oneness of mankind” to abolish the artificial, but nevertheless deeply implanted barriers of race, religious and class prejudice. The author finds “proof of the pudding” in viewing Bahá’í communities, as the followers of Bahá’u’lláh are known; for here in the realm of human relationships is found a working unity among peoples of every religious and racial background throughout more than 300 countries and principalities of the world.
Granting the need for science to free man’s mind, the author nevertheless sees the almost totally secularized society today as one of “shallow roots and sour soil” and sees no hope on the part of traditional religion to stem this tide. Science, lacking dynamic spiritual motivation, has produced a purely materialistic society, sowing the seeds of its own destruction. There is a great need, he states, for a recognition of the interdependence of the two great and essentially harmonious forces of science and religion.
If one accepts a planetary order as the inevitable achievement of a long-travailing humanity, a natural question to ask is when will this culmination be? The author points out that current sociologists with their plotted progress curves arrive at a similar conclusion to the prophecies of Bahá’u’lláh, and in complete fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Shoghi Effendi, the beloved Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, has stated that we are on the eve of cataclysmic world events which, while seemingly tragic, will impel man to his promised destiny in this century.
For this reason, the author, in his comprehensive survey of these principles, finds a prevailing optimism among the followers of this 19th century prophet, in whatever part of the world they reside. “They dedicate their lives and all their abilities,” he states, “to this great goal of a spiritualized humanity banded together in love and harmony, building noble institutions within the pattern of a federated world.”
(Paperbound edition available from Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois. See catalog.)
YOUTH: TIME FOR ACTION[edit]
“The Old Testament reminds us that there is a time for everything. This is the time for action. It is the time when the American Bahá’í youth can demonstrate to their confused contemporaries the power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause to inject hope where frustration abounds and to raise up from the midst of such frustration a race of men wholly dedicated to the reconstruction of world society.”
With this clarion call the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States challenged the Bahá’í youth of America, gathered together at 22 Area Youth Conferences throughout the nation on November 29-December 1, 1968, to arise and to win the goals of the Five Year Youth Program.
And the youth, more than 800 of them, responded. They consulted on how to achieve the Program’s goals and formulated specific plans for their own areas. They made individual commitments to action on goals such as homefront and international pioneering, organizing Bahá’í high school and college clubs, and deepening themselves. They contributed over $1000 to the National Bahá’í Fund. And they pondered in their hearts the summons of the beloved Guardian “to step forward, and dedicate their resources, their time, their very lives to a Cause of such transcendence that no human eye can even dimly perceive its glory....”
Indicative of Area Youth Conferences throughout the United States are these two
photos from Kentucky, Tennessee, Southern Illinois and Indiana (top) and Washington (bottom) and these words from a Conference participant in Idaho: “The spirit
at this conference was unbelievable, and the high-mindedness, purposefulness and
animate love for the Blessed Beauty and His Cause that radiated from these youth
was enough to cause the tears of joy to flow like rivers.”
LEFT: “One of the most inspirational
things about this conference was the participation of youth as speakers. They prepared and presented their talks with much
thought and effort.” New Jersey Conference
“The youth speakers were good. They communicated in the vernacular of their peers and were listened to. Some spoke unselfconsciously, allowing all to see their depth of awareness and commitment to the Faith.” New Mexico Conference
RIGHT: The Idaho Falls Post Register
printed this photo of the Idaho, Montana,
Utah Youth Conference, which was opened
by the Mayor of Idaho Falls. He was presented with a copy of The Proclamation
of Bahá’u’lláh, and he replied, “I won’t read this, I’ll study it! It will have a permanent place in my home so my family can read it also.”
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These were working conferences, and
here is a vital part of the “work,” in the
words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “O ye friends!
Fellowship, fellowship! Love, love! Unity,
unity!”
“The conference had an air of realism
and solidity to it that was good. Consultation among groups of youth was really
quite fruitful.” Wisconsin Conference
“These young people were serious about their responsible role and don’t intend to be an added attraction, but rather a part of the main feature, in the unfolding plan of Bahá’u’lláh.” New Mexico Conference
Who will arise to fill the goals? Will you?
Thousands Attend U.S. Conferences[edit]
ON THREE WEEKENDS in October approximately 2,000 American believers consulted on the urgent necessity for obtaining a clearer apprehension of the purpose of God for men and on the urgent requirements of the National Bahá’í Fund. Success in Teaching: How to Fight Your Own Spiritual Battles was another topic presented and discussed at these conferences. A report on the First Oceanic Conference and the Commemoration of Bahá’u’lláh’s Arrival in the Holy Land was also given, with added commentary by those privileged to have attended.
Members of the National Spiritual Assembly, the National Teaching Committee and the recently established Teacher Corps acted as moderators at the eighteen conferences held all over the country. To encourage participation each person received a copy of the message from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States dated August 14, 1968, entitled “A Challenge of Colossal Magnitude” which appeared in the October issue of the NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í REVIEW. A commentary on this message by the National Spiritual Assembly was also distributed to all attending. Finally, a special eight-page compilation on the following topics taken from the writings of the Guardian of the Cause of God and the Universal House of Justice was presented as a special gift to everyone who attended: 1) Expansion and Consolidation: Twin Processes of Bahá’í Community Action; 2) Proclamation: The Unknown Sea; 3) The Individual’s Role and 4) Achieving the Oneness of Mankind in America (from the writings of Shoghi Effendi). Of the twelve excerpts from the Guardian’s writings on this last topic, six were from previously unpublished letters, five were from letters published only in BAHÁ’Í NEWS from 1937 to 1958 and one was from Principles of Bahá’í Administration, page 87.
Also featured at the conferences was the showing of the slide-tape program on the Fund, entitled “Your National Fund: The Gateway to Success.” This program, developed by the National Coordinating Committee for the Fund, sparked lively discussion and interest in the use to which the funds are put.
Discussion of the message from the Universal House of Justice to the Hands of the Cause of God and the Bahá’í friends assembled in Palermo, Sicily at the First Bahá’í Oceanic Conference and the Riḍván 1967 message from that same body helped in the consultation on the urgency for organizing study classes for the constant consideration of the Sacred Writings of our Faith as related to God’s purpose for man today.
Bahá’í in the News[edit]
The autumn issue of Theology Digest contains a listing of Religion for Mankind and a brief but accurate reference to the author, Horace Holley. It mentions his service as secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States for more than thirty years, his elevation to Hand of the Cause of God, his extensive travels throughout the Western Hemisphere as well as other continents “to stimulate and guide Bahá’í activity,” his call to serve at the World Center in Haifa in 1959 and his burial on Mount Carmel. This magazine offers condensations of religious articles from leading theological journals throughout the world. It is published by the School of Divinity of St. Louis University, a Catholic institution. The book section contains over 200 titles, a “selected list of adult religious books recently published or made available for distribution in the United States” which it states is a list of “the most important books published” in the religious field.
The December 2 issue of the Los Angeles Times carried a special feature on Vic Damone by Leonard Feather. Three paragraphs are devoted to mention of the Faith.
A workbook used in third grade in some public schools carries a color picture of the House of Worship in Wilmette to illustrate to the young students the idea of beauty, and finding the most beautiful things in their surroundings.
The Passing of a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh[edit]
Mrs. Loyce D. Lawrence, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, passed on to the Abhá Kingdom December 18, 1968, in Trondheim, Norway. Mrs. Lawrence, a dedicated and faithful pioneer since the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade, volunteered (at the Stockholm Intercontinental Conference in 1953) to go to the far-northern post of Lofoten Islands, beyond the Arctic Circle. Holding within her heart the wish of the beloved Guardian that the pioneers become permanent members of their adopted country and hold their posts until the Faith is firmly established, she remained to witness the formation of a Local Spiritual Assembly in Svolvaer and the National Spiritual Assembly of Norway, on which she was serving as a member at the time of her death.
The services of this devoted American Pioneer and her valuable contribution to the Faith in Norway are exemplary expressions of her love for Bahá’u’lláh.
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: Mrs. Sylvia Parmelee, Managing Editor; Mrs. Eunice Braun, International Editor; Miss Charlotte Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative; Mr. Rexford C. Parmelee.
Material must be received by the twenty-fifth of the second month preceding date of issue. Address: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091, U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A. 60091.
