Bahá’í News/Issue 483/Text
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| No. 483 | BAHA’I YEAR 128 | JUNE, 1971 |
“WAKE UP AMERICA”[edit]
Exhorts Hand of the Cause Sears
At the largest Bahá’í public meeting held in Los Angeles
It was with a feeling of triumph that the committee finished addressing the last packet. There they were, 5,000 invitations that would be delivered to every community and group in Southern California in plenty of time to be distributed at the Feast. It had been difficult—but it was important that everyone know. Hand of the Cause William Sears had offered himself to the area for the Naw-Rúz weekend. He would be serving the Faith abroad for several years—who knew when the friends might see him again.
Preparations[edit]
Preparations had been quickly made by the host community, Los Angeles. There was to be a Bahá’í youth meeting with Mr. Sears on Saturday morning and a Bahá’í-only meeting on Sunday night. That information had been telephoned to the secretaries. It was the public meeting that was the present concern. An intensive search had been made for the proper auditorium—available that day, large, easily accessible, good stage and equipment and within the very limited budget. Finally one was found, applications were made out and the tedious process of obtaining official approval was slowed to snail’s pace. But at last it was done and the go-ahead received. Invitations were designed and printed in a matter of days.
The chairman and entertainers had been selected, approved and contacted. Outstanding! Dorothy Nelson was available and would be delighted to act as chairman! The Bahá’í Chorus would be ready! They would choose new costumes in honor of the event. Geraldine Jones and Jim Dockens said that they wouldn’t miss it! And as the final touch, the rocketing new stars of the recording field, Seals and Crofts, would be in town that day. Yes, of course they would appear!
The hardest part was done then. The committee had a right to feel pleased as they mailed those invitations.
The Earthquake[edit]
It was the very next day—a Friday afternoon—that the phone call came. Because of earthquake damage to the college, the auditorium would not be available. We were cancelled!
Of course it couldn’t be done ... inform all of the communities of the emergency, find another auditorium, clear it, cut red tape, have stickers set up and printed with the new place for the invitations, do another mailing, redraft publicity, etc. But the committee knew that it had to try. And of course it was done—within a week. In time.
On Saturday, March 20, Bahá’í youth began gathering
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Bahá’í Chorus at the Naw-Rúz meeting in Hollywood. Sandy Rogers, Director.
at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center from all over California, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona. They came by
car, bus, bike and thumb. About two hundred of them
jammed the room. The meeting was to be video-taped so
technicians scurried about setting up impressive equipment. And there, sitting quietly next to his beloved
Marguerite, was Mr. Sears. The appointed hour came
and the chairman read an opening prayer. Hand of the
Cause William Sears moved to the podium. As he began
to speak, his face lighted up and his eyes sparkled.
Vigorous, excited and exciting he stood there before the
people he loved. He shared with those young people the
precious stories of the Faith. Slides were shown of the
Youth Conference—and suddenly it was over. Except in
the hearts of those who were privileged to be there.
That night was the Feast and, anticipating the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Sears, such numbers arrived that some had to be accommodated in another room and view the proceedings via closed circuit TV. Mr. Sears spoke briefly, warmly and with great vitality.
The Public Meeting[edit]
Hollywood High School Auditorium was the place. There were 1948 seats. The largest audience anyone could recall at a Los Angeles Bahá’í meeting was a thousand. Fill the lower floor first was the order to the ushers.
At 2:45 on Sunday afternoon, the word was given to the ushers. The run-through had been completed. They might open the doors now. People came in—more and more and more until only a handful of seats in the top of the balcony remained. The conservative official count was “over 1800”. Probably a third were not yet Bahá’ís.
Producer-MC Richard Lewellen was the first to speak, calling the people to order, welcoming, announcing the entertainers who, one after the other, gathered the throng to them with their brilliance, their warmth and their love. Then the distinguished Dorothy Nelson—Dean of the School of Law at the University of Southern California, member of the National Spiritual Assembly, gave a simple and touching introduction to the time, the festival of the New Year (Naw-Rúz), to Mr. Sears, and to the theme—WAKE UP AMERICA!
It would be difficult to report properly about Mr. Sears’ talk. One can write of the methods he used of relating current events to the Writings—flashing newspaper headlines; displaying titles of popular songs and quoting the lyrics that could have been lifted almost verbatum from the Words of the Founders. Or the dramatic impact of children marching onstage carrying armloads of Bahá’í books and depositing them in a tremendous pile to demonstrate the volume and richness of the Writings. Or the ‘chalk-talk’ illustrating progressive revelation. Or the requesting of members of various races to come from the audience and then holding up a yellow, a red, a black and a white paper next to the faces and proclaiming, “It’s a lie!” Or the producing of a starter’s pistol—the count-down before
Geraldine Jones singing at the Naw-Rúz program, Los Angeles, California.
Seals and Crofts entertaining at the “Wake Up America,” program.
Jim Dockens at the Naw-Rúz public meeting.
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Hand of the Cause William Sears demonstrating with white, black, red and yellow papers that “Race is a lie”.
Portion of 1800 audience in the Hollywood High School auditorium, Los Angeles.
the shots, “On your marks, get set, go! WAKE UP
AMERICA!”
An hour or so after the program ended, people still stood on the steps of the auditorium. No one wanted to leave—even though many were to meet again at the membership meeting that evening. Each moment needed savoring.
It was a standing-room-only crowd of 700 that was greeted that evening by the chairman, Auxiliary Board Member Anthony Lease. A surprise treat was the visit of Florence Mayberry, member of the Board of Counsellors who greeted the assemblage. After the Bahá’í Chorus sang, Mr. Sears again took stage and wove for the gathered friends a magic carpet on which he transported them to the cradle of the Faith. Visually assisted by slides which he and Mrs. Sears had taken on a recent trip, Mr. Sears brought life and meaning to each of those holy and sanctified spots. What a treasured gift he gave the believers there. What a never-to-be-forgotten weekend it had been!
The meetings had been tape-recorded and color slides carefully taken. A proclamation program using them was designed to be used throughout the English-speaking world. Perhaps a tiny portion of the excitement would shine through. Perhaps the divine magic of those moments could, indeed, be shared.
Bahá’ís with Hand of the Cause Mr. Featherstone and Mrs. Featherstone, son and daughter when they arrived in Dacca, Pakistan on January 12, 1971.
Daidanaw - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Village in Burma[edit]
Daidanaw village in Burma was visited by Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone on January 8, 1971. Many of the older Bahá’ís learned of this Bahá’í village from the account in The Bahá’í World, Volumes I and II, which had also been printed in The Star of the West. From the late twenties until now, news of this village has been scarce; now we have visible proof that it continues.
The Shrine of Siyyid Muṣṭafá Roumi honors the pioneer who taught the people of the Faith, and because of his deeds and devotion was named a Hand of the Cause by the Guardian after his passing.
Siyyid Muṣṭafá belonged to a noble family of Baghdad, Iraq. His father had settled in Madras India. When the first teacher sent by Bahá’u’lláh to India, known as Jamál Effendi arrived in 1875, Siyyid Muṣṭafá was in his early twenties. He became enkindled with the truth of the cause. When Jamál Effendi left Madras, he accompanied him and traveled with him throughout India and Burma.
Arriving in Burma in 1875, in 1878 Siyyid Mustafá settled in Rangoon, where he married into a wealthy family and became a business partner. He followed up his teacher’s work and under the direction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, developed these groups into Spiritual Assemblies. In 1899 he carried to the Holy Land, with other Bahá’ís, the remains of the Báb.
In 1910 the firm in which he was a partner failed, and soon after, his wife died. From this time on he devoted his whole time to the service of the Faith.
He was assisted in establishing a new center in Daidanaw, a village in the township of Kungyangoon (Kunjangun). It happened that the headman of Daidanaw was involved in a troublesome legal case. In the Rangoon court when his application for bail was granted there was no one to stand surety for him because he was a stranger. One of the Bahá’ís in Rangoon, happening to be in the court room, at once offered himself as surety. This impressed the headman and his companions and they inquired of the Bahá’í to which Faith he belonged. When told of Bahá’u’lláh they were very desirous to hear more of it. They were brought to Siyyid Muṣṭafá, who convinced them of the truth of the new Revelation. The headman and his party went back to their village and related this experience to the people. The elders of the village held a consultation and decided to invite Siyyid Muṣṭafá to their village to teach them the new Faith of God. This Siyyid Muṣṭafá did in his own convincing manner and the village embraced the Cause en masse. Siyyid Muṣṭafá set about bettering the lot of these people. With financial aid from Rangoon Bahá’ís he started a school in the village. He translated several Bahá’í books into Burmese, supervised translations into Urdu and wrote Lessons in Religion in Burmese.
Siyyid Muṣṭafá was entirely detached from the world. He loved the Guardian to such a degree that in all his daily life he followed his example. He knew that the beloved Guardian loved and appreciated nothing but work and service for the Divine Faith and he worked
Bahá’ís of Daidanaw village, also known as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
village, in Burma. At the rear can be seen the building they
call ‘The Shrine of Siyyid Mustafá Roumi’ named by the beloved Guardian as a Hand of the Cause after his passing.
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for it day and night unmindful of his health.
He was about 99 years of age at the time of his death, but his spirit was that of a youth of twenty-two. If he heard of an inquirer he would walk a long distance to meet him. His method of teaching was to help the inquirer to be self-reliant in his search for truth and remove from his mind the attitude of dependence upon so-called religious leaders. He would build his argument on the knowledge of the inquirer and convince him of the Truth proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.
Bahá’ís of Tekowli village out from Panchgani, India, when visited by Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone and Mrs. Featherstone, January 22, 1971.
Bahá’ís of Twante, Burma, when visited by the Featherstones on January 9, 1971.
Mrs. Madge Featherstone addressing the Bahá’ís in Rangoon Burma. National Secretary, Mr. U Ko Gyi is translating.
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Part of the audience attending the Congress Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the coming of the first Bahá’í pioneer to Brazil, Mrs. Leonora Holsapple Armstrong.
Honoring the First Pioneer to Brazil Leonora Holsapple Armstrong[edit]
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the coming of the first pioneer to Brazil, Mrs. Leonora Holsapple Armstrong, an Anniversary Commemorative Congress was celebrated in Salvador, Bahía, Brazil on February 26-28, 1971. This was to pay tribute to her long years of selfless service as well as to give a welcome to the representatives of the hundreds of new believers, the result of mass teaching in the past few months.
The Congress opened on the night of February 26 with the presence of the representative of the Mayor of Salvador; the Director of the Central Library; Sra. Leonora Armstrong, first Bahá’í to settle in Brazil and named by the beloved Guardian “the Mother of the Bahá’ís of Brazil”; three Auxiliary Board members, Mrs. Touba Maani, Mr. Edmund Miessler, and Mr. Osmar Mendes; four members of the National Assembly and representatives of the Bahá’í friends of thirteen states; plus Mrs. Evelyn Baral, of Argentina.
Mrs. Armstrong was first presented to the “children” who had come to honor her, and then they, in turn were introduced to her, as each delegation stood up to be counted. Greetings were received and loving congratulations extended to her from the Universal House of Justice, the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land and Rúḥíyyih Khánum, her dear friend of many years, and Mr. Jalál Kházeh, who had served for several years as the Hand for Brazil and Latin America; Mrs. Armstrong also received greetings from several national spiritual assemblies, local assemblies, the Continental Board of Counsellors and many individuals, all of whom expressed their love and admiration for her truly exemplary pioneering service, giving of herself to every phase of the teaching work.
Excellent preparation was made for the Congress, including visits to several newspaper editors, a twenty-five minute television program, the delivering of invitations to the Governor of Bahía, just terminating his administration as well as to the new Governor just before he took office, to the Mayor of the city, to the Secretary of Education and Culture, to the Director of the Central City Library where the Congress was held. The lobby of the Library was beautifully decorated with panel displays of photos of the Bahá’í Temples, Hands of the Cause, International Conferences and Congresses, National Conventions, Local Spiritual Assemblies and communities and Bahá’í groups. Since the lobby has windows on one side, those passing on the street were attracted to the exposition and many stopped to ask questions and to carry away pamphlets.
The Congress was unique in that it was an “audio-visual” presentation of the Faith, including slides for every talk, often interspersed with songs. The history of the Faith, its world expansion and especially, its expansion in Brazil, its tenets and spiritual teachings were all included in this program, which, in this way, was more interesting to the new believers, many of whom are semiliterate.
After the Congress closed on Sunday morning, those present were urged to go out to Boca do Rio, the scene of the great influx of new believers through mass teaching,
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there to commingle with them and to get the “feel” of the
joy of this new method of teaching. There they were convinced that these who had so little experience with the
Faith were truly Bahá’ís.
On Monday and Tuesday following the Congress, about twenty-five gathered in the new Bahá’í Center in Boca do Rio for a two-day institute to get a wider vision and to learn new techniques in teaching. Many of those present were themselves mass teaching products, among them five Indians from the Lagoa Grande area in Bahía, and three Indians from the Fazendo do Canto area in Alagoas.
The Bahá’ís of Brazil feel that this Congress marks a new step in the development of the Faith in Brazil, where the sights have already been lifted to the goal of 100,000 believers within the near future.
Some Experiences Among the Poor in Brazil[edit]
From Bahá’í World, Vol. III (1928-1930)
Within a few months of the arrival of Miss Maude
Mickle (my co-worker) and myself in Bahía, Brazil,
regular fortnightly Bahá’í meetings were established in
the factory district, in the very humble home of one of
the workers.... Though Sunday is the only day they
have ... still they would come—walking long distances
to attend our Sunday afternoon meetings. Especially
eager were they to hear of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s acts of charity, which won for Him the title of “Father of the Poor.”
... Dona Antonia, in whose home the meetings were
held during more than two years, used to go about in her
spare moments inviting her friends and neighbors to
come to the meetings, distributing booklets and copies
of our magazine among them.... In the state of Pernambuco some among the poor were found most receptive; and in the capital of Ceará, where I spent four
months, there were still more opportunities of making
contacts with the very poor.
In Ceará serious epidemics of cholera and typhoid broke out during my stay there, and I was able to offer my services in carrying medicine, food, and clothing to many of the sick. It was a thrilling experience to visit them in their homes ... and to try to prove to them by deeds the Bahá’í faith in the oneness of humanity. There were black and white among them, and all the intervening shades, and many who showed clearly the mixture of Indian blood with the Negro or Portuguese. But all were poor, suffering, in need of human help, and all were grateful to have it given, freely, for the love of humanity.
To some, as they became well, there was opportunity of speaking of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and booklets were given to the two or three who were found who could read. On one occasion a group of children who sometimes followed me around from house to house as I made my visits, stood in the doorway of one house in which I was showing a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Each one wished to come in and look, and on being told whose picture it was, slowly pronounced His Name. One woman, to show her gratitude, sent her little girl of six or seven a distance of more than two miles to my home on the day of my departure to bring me a gift. The child arrived at about seven o’clock in the morning, and handed me an old handkerchief in which were tied four very small eggs, each carefully wrapped in a bit of newspaper! Another woman wished to give me her thirteen-year-old daughter....
We felt that a valuable service might be rendered by taking several children—orphans or others whose parents were too poor to give them any education, or even food and clothing—and they might later perhaps go back and give the Bahá’í message to their own people. For about two years we have had in our home in Bahía a little orphan girl to whom we have been giving the Bahá’í teachings.
In Ceará not only were the poor themselves receptive, but the work with them helped to pave the way for some of the rich to receive the message, for when the opportunity came to give a Bahá’í lecture in the most fashionable club of the city, undoubtedly a number attended whose interest had been roused through hearing of my services as “Nurse of the Poor” as I was called.
Permission was also obtained to address all the prisoners in the Cereá Prison. The hearts of some of them, at least, would seem to have been softened by suffering and made receptive. One made a speech of thanks; another wrote a letter of appreciation. All seemed eager to receive at the close of the meeting booklets and typed copies of prayers that had been translated into Portuguese.
Commemorative Congress, celebrating the Golden Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Brazil, Salvador, Bahía, February 26 to 28, 1971. Some of the more than 300 Bahá’ís present to honor the first pioneer, the Mother of the Bahá’ís of Brazil, Mrs. Leonora Armstrong, who arrived there in February, 1921, under the guidance of the master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Mrs. Armstrong is in white in the center of the picture. At her left is Counsellor; Hooper Dunbar.
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Of course some of the wealthy and educated classes in
Brazil have also attended the meetings and expressed
their sympathy with the principles, but they are so
prone to weigh everything with their intellects merely.
Generally speaking, it seems more difficult for them to
feel the love, that great spiritual dynamic which is
surging, emanating from the Word of God in this New
Day.
Just one striking exception, however. The mayor of a small town, in the State of Bahía ... gave us the use of the city hall for a lecture at which he himself introduced the speaker, and for which he had had handbills, announcing it printed and distributed throughout the town. He seemed very sincere in his interest, and when we went to pay our hotel bill, we found that his courtesy had extended so far as to make us his guests.
Indeed, “Blessed are the nameless and traceless poor;” though blessed, too, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has told us, are the few who have not been withheld by riches or prestige from “turning toward the Lights of His Face.”
Guatemalan Pioneer to British Honduras[edit]
In the jungle we found a pioneer. It was like a dream—the heat, the silence pinpricked by little noises of nature, seated beneath a wonderful shade tree—no fleas! The message of Bahá’u’lláh was given in English to a gentle soul whose eager listening drew the words from the Northamerican pioneer like a magnet.
Alvaro Pio Bul believed. He asked good questions but mostly he listened. Finally he asked how he could become a Bahá’í. He signed his card.
Since he speaks English, Mayan, Kekchi, and Spanish, we asked him if he would like to pioneer to the Tolido District in British Honduras where the people speak Kekchi and Spanish, a Guatemala goal for the Nine-Year plan. He replied that he’d grown up there and would love to. So we made arrangements for him to study at the Dorothy B. Baker Institute in Chichicastenango and gain experience on local teaching trips with more experienced teachers.
After his stay at the Institute, he had to harvest his corn and beans, make arrangements about the new house he had just finished, and arrange his papers. No one knew exactly what he should do or where he should do it. He was born in British Honduras and his wife in Guatemala. He had only baptismal record so he had to go to Belize city to get a birth certificate and passport, the two of them had to go to Guatemala City to get hers—both long trips on difficult roads. Then to have his children on his passport, he had to get married again officially.
All things were accomplished and we have received word that they have arrived at their post and the National Spiritual Assembly of British Honduras writes that “Alvaro has arrived and it’s a new day in the Tolido District. He is a great teacher.”
Guatemalan pioneer Alvaro Pio Bul to British Honduras, with his family.
Historic Meeting at Malaga, Spain[edit]
The first time the Bahá’í group of Malaga, Spain were able to hold a public meeting was on April 2, 1971, at the Casa de la Cultura. There were forty present, and thirty were interested seekers. To obtain permission for such a meeting was a long drawn-out process.
Publicity for the meeting was by radio, newspapers and posters in the Casa de la Cultura.
It was a cold, rainy day, but shortly before the meeting the rain stopped. Deyhem Foroughi, Medical student at the University of Granada was the guest speaker. Many interested persons left their names to receive further information.
A Pioneer Writes from Chad[edit]
Olive McDonald wrote to the National Bahá’í Office from Fort Lamy, Chad, as follows:
“On Sunday last (March 21) Elie Enigotto an absolutely wonderful African Bahá’í teacher took me with him to a small village along the river of Fort Lamy, which he had opened to the Faith the week before. Another Bahá’í had preceded us on a bicycle to alert the village to our coming, so when we arrived all were ready and waiting. It was the most wonderful experience. Strong, tall men, women old and workworn, mothers young and beautiful, nursing babies, all were there to listen. After Elie had explained beautifully the wonder of this Message, giving examples well related to their understanding, and his words has been translated first into Chadian Arab and then into the tribal language, one young mother said: ‘The words of God are like honey. One taste of such honey and one wants more and more.’ The brother of the head man of the village was visiting from Fort Lamy and while Elie talked, he was busy taking notes, using the Holy Bible as a desk. Afterwards, he quoted chapter and verse regarding ‘faith, hope and charity’ and said that our coming was the charity about which Jesus has spoken. And before we left he had become a Bahá’í.”
Summer School Announcements[edit]
- Italy: September 4-12, 1971
- Location: Hotel Rol, Valverde Di Cesanatico, Italy. (On the Adriatic coast near Rimini.)
- Reservation date: August 15.
- For Information: write Mr. Mario Donato, Piazza Palermo, 5/21 16129 Genova, Italy.
- Ireland: County Dublin, July 17-31
- Scotland: Dundee, July 31-Aug. 14
- Canada: Sylvan Lake Summer School, July 4-August 29
- Location: 15 miles west of Red Deer, Alberta
- For Information: write Miss Linda Jones, Secretary, Sylvan Lake Summer School Comm., 18 Stewart St., Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
Pioneers and new Bahá’ís at Grand Bahama Island[edit]
New Haitian believers who live at Hunter and Pinders Point, Grand Bahama Island. Travel teacher, Ben Levy (second from left) recently returned from a trip to this area and to the French-speaking Islands of the Caribbean.
Pioneer Henry Wigfall (right) with new believers in Williamstown, Grand Bahama Island. These friends were brought in as a result of a mass teaching effort on the part of two traveling teachers from Florida.
American pioneers with three new Haitian and Trinidadian believers in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. Pernetta Wigfall is second from left and Henry Wigfall is fourth.
Naw-Rúz at Managua, Nicaragua[edit]
The community of Managua, Nicaragua celebrated its most beautiful Naw-Rúz in the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. Several communities assisted in the event which closed with a supper.
Naw-Rúz at Grand Bahama Island[edit]
Bahá’ís and guests swimming and children playing at the intercommunity Naw-Rúz picnic on the beach at Grand Bahamas.
A festive picnic at the beach marked the occasion of Naw-Rúz in the Grand Bahamas. About ninety-five guests and thirty-three Bahá’ís enjoyed playing ball, swimming, exploring the beach, dancing, talking about the Faith, and the food. Bahá’ís from Williamstown, Hunter, Pinders Point joined with those from Freeport. Three newspapers carried stories which totaled thirty-eight column inches.
Swaziland Dedication—Leroy Ioas Institute[edit]
Bahá’ís and their friends from all over Southern Africa as well as the island of Mauritius gathered for the dedication of the new Leroy Ioas Teacher Training Institute and administrative headquarters on Saturday, December 26, 1970.
The guests were honored by the presence of Board of Counsellors members Mr. Appa and Mr. Shidan Fatheázam; Auxiliary Board members Mr. Mooten, Mrs. Helen Wilks, and Mr. Logan Thandrayen; members of two National Spiritual Assemblies; Mr. Mnisi who represented His Majesty King Sobhuza II for the occasion; and Her Highness, Princess Gcinaphi, a Bahá’í.
Mr. Logan Thandrayen, of Mauritius, spoke to the guests on the subject “One World—One Home”. Mr. Thandrayen said that the holding of such a diversified gathering, including people from many nations and races, was a “milestone in the social and educational history of Swaziland, making it truly a part of the whole world. A century or two ago, such a gathering would have been impossible, because of the barriers separating the different parts of mankind, the lack of communication and transport.
“If we look at history,” said Mr. Thandrayen, “we see a series of progressive steps toward world unity. First, unity on the tribal or family level, then on the city-state level, and then on the level of nationhood. And it is a proof of the greatness of this century, that many countries have achieved nationhood in this century alone.
“Prior to any advance in unity, there has always been much violence and corruption. And now, the present disorder in the world is leading to world unity, and the recognition of the oneness of mankind. There have always been negative forces combating positive forces working for unity. The positive has always succeeded. If mankind has been able to survive, it is because of advancement in the unification of societies, and if man wants to go on surviving, he must attain world unity.
“Those who are working constructively, are doing so because of their beliefs. They believe that the world had a Creator Who was loving and intelligent, and that this Creator manifested Himself from age to age through Figures like Moses, Christ, Muhammad and others. At first people were against Them and Their Teachings, but gradually they accepted Them. This acceptance brought about a transformation in peoples’ lives, and changed society. The result of Divine Revelation has always been a new civilization. Today we are living at the dawn of a new civilization which is the fruit of all past civilizations.
“One of the teachings of all the Prophets was that a time would come when they themselves, or another would come, when a new and very great civilization would be founded. The prophecies of past Scriptures give the indication that Bahá’u’lláh is the One referred to as this ‘Promised One of All Ages.’ ”
Mr. Mnisi, the representative of H.M. the King, expressed his appreciation for the holding of a gathering of “many different colors, many different nationalities, but all united.”
“We are most grateful,” Mr. Mnisi said, “because even though Swaziland is a small and humble nation, we feel today that we are great because so many people
In front of the new Leroy Ioas Teacher Training Institute at Mbabane, Swaziland H.H. Princess Gcinaphi is planting a tree, assisted by Continental Board member Shidan Fatheázam. At the first session of the institute Bahá’ís came from Swaziland, Rhodesia, Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and South West Africa.
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Some of the audience attending the dedication of the Leroy Ioas Teaching Training Institute.
Some of the distinguished guests and speakers at the dedication: left to right, John Allen, Chairman, with Auxiliary Board member Mr. William Masehla, South Africa: Mr. Logan Thandrayen, Auxiliary Board member, Mauritius; Mr. Mnisi, Representative of H. H. King Sobhuaa II with his entourage.
have gathered here in this spirit of oneness.”
Mr. Mnisi also expressed gratitude for the speech of Mr. Thandrayen of Mauritius, who, he said, “has spoken of two mighty forces, one, the force of destruction, and the other the force of unity which works toward the construction of one unity.”
Mr. Mnisi said further, “I am most grateful for what has been said regarding the King ... that the Most Mighty Creator has given us kings so that if we respect these kings we may in turn respect Him, Almighty God.
“I would like to say to you people here that here in Swaziland you are at home. Consider yourselves as children of Swaziland. I am sure in this institute here you will learn a few things. If you see Swazis coming with their tribal customs perhaps you will learn something of them, too.”
In conclusion Mr. Mnisi invited the Bahá’ís “to call on us” if in any difficulty. The program concluded with the planting of a tree on the grounds by H. H. Princess Gcinaphi.
The Times of Swaziland carried an article covering the dedication program.
Floating Campus Brings Bahá’ís to Seychelles[edit]
Two young American Bahá’í students travelling aboard the ‘Floating Campus’ chartered by the Chapman College of California visited Seychelles when the ship S.S. Ryndam called at Seychelles for a day on March 31.
They were Miss Pat Finley of Lawrence, Kansas and Miss Marta Larson of California. Miss Pat was accompanied by her very charming eighty-two year old grandmother Mrs. Finley.
On board the ship they were met by the Secretary of the National Teaching Committee who later introduced them to the Chief Minister of Seychelles, the Honorable Mr. James R. Mancham, the Director of Education Mr. A. W. Johns and other officials who happened to be on board the ship soon after it anchored on the evening of March 30.
A few days before the arrival of the ship, the government owned Radio Seychelles while giving the news of the cruise in general mentioned that for one of the 500 students, a special welcome awaits in the Seychelles and that was from the Bahá’í community of Seychelles. (It was originally known that there was only one Bahá’í student on board). From that time on the name of Miss Pat was a topic of conversation all over the town.
Miss Pat and Miss Marta with Mrs. Finley were brought ashore on the evening of March 30. A tumultuous welcome was given to the young visitors at the Victoria Bahá’í Center by the Bahá’ís of Seychelles. Miss Finley and Miss Larson spoke eloquently of the warmth and loving fellowship they had received from the Bahá’ís of Hawaii, Malaysia, Ceylon and Madras. Bahá’ís then presented to each one of them a souvenir gift of Seychelles made of tortoise shell. They stayed overnight with the Bahá’ís. Next morning they visited the educational institutions of Seychelles and visited the Seychelles broadcasting studio where an interview of fifteen minutes was tape-recorded for later broadcast. This interview was broadcast on radio Seychelles on Saturday, April 3, with extremely favorable reactions from every quarter.
The visitors were then taken on a sight seeing tour of the island of Mahe. They sailed for Dar-es-Salaam the same afternoon March 31.
This was the first visit to Seychelles of American Bahá’ís ever and will long be remembered by the friends of Seychelles.
Reception given three Bahá’ís who arrived on board the cruise ship SS Ryndam when it visited the Seychelles Islands. The reception was held at the Bahá’í Center in Victoria, Mahe, on March 30, 1971.
National Convention of the Bahá’ís of the United States Held in Foundation Hall,
of the United States Bahá’í House of Worship
The Sixty-Second Annual Convention Wilmette, Illinois, April 29-May 2, 1971[edit]
- Members of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly for 1971-1972
- Following are the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States for 1971-1972:
- Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, Chairman
- Dr. Daniel C. Jordan, Vice-Chairman
- Mr. Glenford E. Mitchell, Secretary
- Miss Charlotte M. Linfoot, Assistant Secretary
- Dr. Dorothy W. Nelson, Treasurer
- Dr. Dwight W. Allen
- Miss Magdalene Carney
- Mr. Franklin Kahn
- Dr. Sarah M. Pereira
- U.S.A. Goals
- Nine Year Plan 600 Assemblies; achieved in 1971 — 839 Assemblies, two years ahead of schedule. Delegates to the 62nd Annual National Bahá’í Convention in Wilmette, April 29 - May 2, were told that the localities where Bahá’ís reside in the U.S. had increased in one year from 2,799 to approximately 4,000. Over 20,000 new believers, mostly blacks, joined the Faith in the South, plus hundreds of Spanish-speaking persons and scores of American Indians.
- International posts were filled by 205 pioneers from the United States this year, and hundreds more will leave to spread the Faith in lands and islands across the world.
Mass Teaching Conference - Maryland / Delaware[edit]
That part of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia that sits on a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean is known as Delmarva. The mainlanders call it the Eastern Shore and to get to it from any direction except from the north you must pay a toll to get across a bridge, or bridges and tunnels. Before the Mass Teaching Conference it was considered by many to be a sleepy rural area where not much was happening, except wild foul hunting and summer vacationing on the beaches around Ocean City. The whole area has taken on a new significance since the week-end of February 13-15. The State Goals Committee and representatives of the Deep South Committee, along with over 200 other believers from nine states and D.C. converged on the little community of Bivalve, Maryland, near Salisbury, and Bahá’u’lláh has another homefront victory!
When the count was tallied on Monday morning February 15 there were 165 new believers in a forty mile radius of Salisbury. An early morning call from Annapolis, Maryland reported that one carload of tired but enthusiastic teachers had stopped Sunday evening and helped the lone believer in that State Capitol to do some mass teaching. The result was five new believers for Annapolis and one youth of Anne Arundel County. In a call Monday evening from Richmond, Virginia, Dick Bond reported that while enroute home Sunday via the southern route he, Martha Dick and Gazzel Towfiq stopped in the Virginia part of Delmarva and found twelve new believers where before there were none.
The count for the weekend was 183. Follow-up teachers, including some of the new believers, found seven more new believers the next day and the count stood at 190. The story goes on and on and each week the count continues to climb. As of the first week of March the count was approaching 220. The victories include thirty-five from lower Delaware, which almost doubles the Bahá’í strength in Delaware. One county and six other localities were opened in that State.
Deep South Committee members Poova Murday, Fereydoun Jalali and Charles Bullock, plus approximately forty others from Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia and the Carolinas, were the boost that the local area Bahá’ís needed to inspire them and help achieve this great victory for Bahá’u’lláh.
While the increase in numbers of believers is a wonderful bounty, the effect of this conference on those who had the bounty of experiencing mass teaching in person, is beyond words. Many who had doubted the results of such an effort were suddenly brought face to face with the reality that waiting souls need only the confirmation that Bahá’u’lláh has come to accept this wonderful Faith. OH! GOD, INCREASE MY ASTONISHMENT IN THEE! So many who have been Bahá’ís for years were heard to utter these words as they prepared to leave the conference for the trip back home.
Many thrilling incidents were reported by the teachers. One particularly moving incident was reported by Yvonne Merritt from Takoma Park, Maryland:
“To me the conference was the most enjoyable experience I’ve ever had. It was so well organized, and everyone was so eager to participate. The highlight of the conference for me was the teaching trip. I was on a team of four, who went to Kingston, Maryland.
“On the road we saw an old gentleman walking and he thumbed a ride with us. He commented on how nice it was to see young people who were so considerate. As we neared his house we saw several people outside. We asked if he would mind if we went to meet them, and he seemed very glad to invite us in. When we reached the house a lady came out and greeted us very warmly. We introduced ourselves and she invited us in. As it turned out the old gentleman was her uncle. We sat in their living room and began to tell her, the uncle and one of her sons about Bahá’u’lláh. Right away she began to say ‘Yes, I believe you.’ Never have I seen anyone accept Bahá’u’lláh and His teachings so readily. The lady, Mrs. Holland started telling us that there was only one God, and that it was time for all people to come together. The three of them had very little difficulty pronouncing Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Alláh’u’Abhá. In a matter
The Maryland District of Columbia-Delaware State Goals Committee being introduced by Poova Murday. From left to right: Evander Gilmer, James Sturdivant, Ruth Hoffman, Barbara Kauppala, Reuben “Buz” Busby, Bea Busby, Mary K. Radpour and Bill Burgess.
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Members of the Road Show with Mr. Albert James, Auxiliary Board member, standing in the rear, left. Seven new songs came into being over the weekend of the Bivalve, Maryland Mass Teaching Conference.
of minutes they said that they wanted to be Bahá’ís. Mrs.
Holland told us that she had dreamed that strangers
would be coming to her house with some good news. Her
uncle also said that he had felt that morning that they
would have visitors. I’ve heard it before, but now I believe it! There are people who are just waiting to hear
that Bahá’u’lláh has come. All we have to do is go out
and find them.”
Several others have expressed amazement at the depth of understanding that these new-found souls have of the spiritual truths of God for this Day. The Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh seem to unlock the hidden capacities so that they become a channel to enlighten everyone around them. Thanks be to God for the vision of the Deep South Committee and the dedication of the Vanguard and Road Show for making possible the great successes we are seeing in the mass teaching areas.
Afterward[edit]
There were twenty-seven new believers added, the first week after the conference, seventeen new believers the second week after the conference, and ten new believers the third week after the conference.
Falkland Islands Activities[edit]
On the southern tip of South America, its two islands resembling butterfly wings reposing on the ocean’s surface, lie the Falkland Islands. Looking toward the United Kingdom for its roots and toward Latin America for its geographical proximity, these islands have been assigned to the United States for Bahá’í assistance and support. Its goal is the formation of one local Spiritual Assembly by the end of the Nine Year Plan and the six believers in Port Stanley work diligently to proclaim the Faith at every opportunity.
Recently they were able to obtain a number of showings for the film, “A New Wind” all over the islands and at one showing over ninety people were in attendance. A special display was prepared and the local town hall was transformed into a scene of Bahá’í proclamation. According to a report from the friends there ,“What we Bahá’ís lacked in numbers we made up for in enthusiasm, and for days afterwards we received words of praise from people who had been to one of the evenings”.
The only access to the islands is by a ship out of Montevideo, Uruguay which makes the trip once a month. Travel teachers are needed who could spend a month teaching and visiting the remote sheep stations where the island’s population can be found outside of the city of Port Stanley. A recent visit by a young Bahá’í couple resulted in one declaration and the friends in the Falkland Islands look forward to achieving their goal within the next year.
Display at the town hall in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, posted in conjunction with the showing of A New Wind.
Bahá’ís of Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. Top from left: Julian Randall, John Leonard and David Hardy. Seated: Winona Hardy, Bernard Steer and Margaret Leonard.
The Great Safari[edit]
of Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum[edit]
Trying to recapture the events which took place between March 1970, when Amatu’l-Bahá temporarily left West Africa, and the end of November 1970 when once again she returned to Accra, Ghana, I see a panorama of diverse fields of service and the shining faces of a heroic band of pioneers and native believers in over nineteen countries and islands in the western hemisphere.
Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum interrupted her African tour because of a promise she had made some time ago in Haifa. When one of the friends arrived from the United States and eagerly related how wonderful the National Bahá’í Youth Conference held in Wilmette had been and what tremendous capacity the American Youth had, Rúḥíyyih Khánum said she would go to address a Youth Conference in the United States, no matter in what part of the world she might be, because she felt it was so important. The invitation came from the National Spiritual Assembly when she was in the middle of Africa. The Universal House of Justice had requested Rúḥíyyih Khánum to attend as their representative the first Regional Convention in Georgetown, Guyana for the election of the new independent National Spiritual Assembly of Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana and also, as she was going to be in that part of the world, the National Convention in Ecuador, a country very dear to her heart.
A month of badly needed rest in Panama was arranged and the friends in that city had the privilege of celebrating the Feast of Naw-Rúz in the presence of their dearly loved Hand of the Cause who is so closely attached to the Temple they are building. She also spoke there to a large public audience about her African trip and showed the beautiful slides she had taken.
A week prior to the Convention in Ecuador Amatu’l-Bahá went to the city of Esmeraldas to visit the new Bahá’ís there who had recently embraced the Cause in great numbers. She was impressed by the quality of these new believers and their enthusiasm in spreading the Cause far and wide in their province. Many times Rúḥíyyih Khánum said she had never been in a town where the whole population was not only so friendly but so receptive and eager to hear the Message of God. She was particularly impressed by a new method of teaching the Faith through children. The believers go to the homes of the people and ask them if they would like their children to attend a Sunday class, learn about God and His prophets and learn new songs. The parents are usually delighted to do this and when the children bring these strange new ideas home and sing their unusual songs of love and brotherhood, the parents become curious and go to the teacher and ask the meaning of these teachings and prayers their children recite. This has proved a most effective method of attracting hundreds of souls.
CONVENTIONS IN ECUADOR AND GEORGETOWN[edit]
The Convention in Quito was a wonderful experience. The representatives of the original inhabitants of the Americas have a spiritual quality that permeates the atmosphere of whatever gathering they attend, a quality of tranquility and peacefulness. The love and deep
President and Mrs. Tubman of Liberia receiving Amatu’l-Bahá at their residence in Monrovia.
affection Rúḥíyyih Khánum has for the dear friends in
Ecuador was very visibly reciprocated.
In this Convention we witnessed something that impressed us very much: Ecuador had embarked on a most ambitious teaching program which required 9000 new Bahá’ís before the end of August 1970. By Convention time only about half of the goal had been achieved. One evening was devoted to discussion, in separate groups representing the Bahá’ís from different areas, on ways and means of winning the goal. Next morning the chairman of the Convention suspended its agenda for over an hour and permitted anyone present to speak to the plans the different groups had drawn up; between them they had apportioned, carefully, according to the possibilities and man-power available for teaching in each place, the approximately 5000 new believers required to meet the National Assembly’s plan. By this brilliant but slightly unusual procedure the National Assembly was able, in its meeting immediately following the Convention, to adopt whatever it desired of the proposed plans and thus surge forward with no loss of time to win its all-important goal.
The first Convention in Georgetown brought into existence a new pillar of the Universal House of Justice. The spirit of utter dedication and heartfelt gratitude to Bahá’u’lláh was so powerful that after the announcement of the names of the members of the new National Spiritual Assembly there were very few dry eyes in the room. During our days in Georgetown the friends took full advantage of Amatu’l-Bahá’s presence and widely and with great dignity proclaimed the Cause through the press, radio and public discourses. Amatu’l-Bahá was received by the President of Guyana, Mr. Arthur Chung, as well as the mayor of Georgetown, Mr. John M. Ford who was also chairman of her public meeting. The
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main theme of some of her talks was on the importance
of abolishing all race prejudice. As Stokely Carmichael
was visiting and lecturing in Guyana at the same time
one can imagine how opposite her remarks were, and
how favorably they were received in one of the most
multi-racial Republics of the world! She repeatedly
reminded her audiences that Guyana was ideally constituted to demonstrate to the world, so torn by racial
hatred and jealousy, that unity in diversity is the answer. There was no reason why they should not be a
workshop for the world to demonstrate this great principle. “The people of the world”, she said “would then
turn to your country and take heart and find hope”.
VISIT TO ISLANDS[edit]
With the advice of Counsellor Alfred Osbourn Amatu’l-Bahá worked out an itinerary for a visit to the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands. Between the end of the Convention in Guyana and the National Bahá’í Youth Conference in America she had five weeks available and decided to seize on this golden opportunity to visit as many of the islands in the West Indies as possible. For a great many years she had longed to visit the dear Bahá’ís in this part of the world and now set out to do so with a joyous heart. Trinidad, Grenada, St. Vincent, Barbados, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua, St. Martin, Nevis and St. Thomas—like a sea bird she winged her way from island to island. In each place she was received lovingly by another group of devoted believers. It was a happy and fruitful but exhausting thirty-six days. In spite of the fact that there was a curfew in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, she was graciously received by the Governor General and Lady McShine as well as the Mayor, Mr. Hamilton Holder. During the three days Rúḥíyyih Khánum stayed in Trinidad she attended a luncheon reception, met with many dignitaries and was able to address the friends in several communities near the city.
GRENADA[edit]
In Grenada Rúḥíyyih Khánum was received by the Governor General, Dame Hilda Bynoe, a charming lady who was originally a medical doctor by profession. It was quite obvious she intended to greet us only as she was very busy, but somehow the conversation turned to the Bahá’í teachings on the life after death and the influence on people in this world exerted by those illumined souls who have passed on to the next world. These ideas so closely resembled her own that she kept us in conversation for over half an hour and Rúḥíyyih Khánum said she would mail her a copy of Gleanings from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh. In the Island of St. Vincent, Rúḥíyyih Khánum was likewise received by the Governor, this time a white man, and met with the Bahá’ís on several occasions. Although there are no pioneers there they have a very strong and active Bahá’í community, some of the friends traveling and teaching in neighbouring islands.
BARBADOS[edit]
Our next stop was the famous island of Barbados. The five days of Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s stay there was packed with activities. She met with the Governor General Sir Winston Scott who also happened to be a medical man and discussed the Faith and allied topics for over half an hour in a most cordial interview. The press and radio coverage was excellent. Prominent women listened to an informal talk given at a reception in her honor. A one-day deepening and teaching school was held at which all the Bahá’ís as well as their interested friends were present and Rúḥíyyih Khánum also addressed a public meeting. A charming woman has a very interesting weekly program on the radio; she had been reading Prescription for Living and interviewed Rúḥíyyih Khánum on her radio program; she asked her if she would permit her to quote from her book on her regular program. Rúḥíyyih Khánum readily agreed to this and we have since heard that she often does so.
ST. LUCIA[edit]
Because of a meeting with the National Assembly for the Caribbean area we passed through St. Lucia more than once. Although it is a small island Rúḥíyyih Khánum was interviewed on the local television station and at a reception given in her honor the very thoughtful group of guests lingered on long after night had fallen, absorbed by the Bahá’í teachings on the subject of race, the oneness of mankind and the unique opportunity the West Indies has to put these teachings into practice.
MARTINIQUE[edit]
On the French island of Martinique there was a single Bahá’í family, Guy Martail, his wife and young children. It was in their hospitable home that we spent the two nights of our stay and it was a very rewarding experience. He is a native of that island who heard of and accepted the Faith thirteen years ago in Cayenne and has since taught his wife and children. He is utterly isolated, does not speak any English and rarely has the opportunity of associating with fellow believers. You can imagine his joy and excitement in meeting Rúḥíyyih Khánum and having her all to himself for two days! He has a very good Bahá’í library and a note book filled with his thoughts and questions. At every opportunity he would eagerly look at Rúḥíyyih Khánum and ask questions on every possible subject. I once watched him: he agreed that Rúḥíyyih Khánum was too tired and needed a half hour to rest, but the moment she left the room he picked up his note book, added a few more questions and waited for her to come back into the room!
DOMINICA[edit]
One of the more beautiful islands in the entire world from a botanical standpoint is Dominica; spiritually, however, it is in great need of reinforcement. The islanders seemed to us an unusually gentle and courteous people and there is a colony of Carib Indians still living there; it is desperately in need of pioneers. We spent almost three days in Guadeloupe but in spite of every effort were not able to meet any of the local believers. People move about a great deal and lack of proper addresses wastes time and energy on the part of visitors to more than one country, we have found. We were happy, however, to locate the young new pioneer from Haiti and give him at least some encouragement and
Amatu’l-Bahá addressing over 300 girls at Teacher’s Training College, Tamale, Ghana.
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Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum talking with the king of the Ashantis the Asantehene Otomfuo Opoku Ware II in his home in Kumasi, Ghana.
Presentation of traditional stool by the Bahá’ís of Kumasi, Ghana, to Amatu’l-Bahá.
instruction. Amatu’l-Bahá has often said that if no other result is achieved by her visits than to see the pioneers and encourage them, she feels the great effort involved is still worthwhile.
ANTIGUA, NEVIS, ST. MARTIN[edit]
In the island of Antigua the local pioneers as well as the pioneer from the small island of Barbuda gave a reception in Amatu’l-Bahá’s honor where she met with the local Bahá’ís and their friends. She also addressed a Teachers’ Training College where a keen and enthusiastic group of students asked many questions. In the charming island of Nevis, where again there are no pioneers, we met with the believers three nights running in the home of the dear Bahá’í family who really constitute the pillars of the Faith there. In the island of St. Martin Rúḥíyyih Khánum was received by the Governor General Mr. Van Delden and met with believers and friends on both the French and Dutch parts of this island.
ST. THOMAS[edit]
St. Thomas, the seat of the National Spiritual Assembly was the last island we visited. Over twenty Bahá’ís had come from Puerto Rico and a few from St. Croix to meet with Amatu’l-Bahá, mostly enthusiastic young people. The three days we were able to stay in St. Thomas were all too short to pack in the many activities that had been planned. Rúḥíyyih Khánum was received by Governor Evans. At a large reception the National Assembly gave in her honor she addressed many of the elite of the island, who listened to her message of racial harmony, peace and oneness with absorbed interest, obviously greatly impressed by the Bahá’í teachings. She had a three-quarters of an hour television interview that went very deeply into the Faith. She also attended a Bahá’í Youth gathering.
YOUTH CONFERENCE, U.S.A.[edit]
Amatu’l-Bahá’s attendance at the Youth Conference in Evanston—which was the main reason for her trip to the Western hemisphere—has already been adequately and befittingly covered in the BAHÁ’Í NEWS, so I will not go into it here. My personal feeling was that I had witnessed the birth and emergence of a bond of love, understanding, trust and deep appreciation between Amatu’l-Bahá and the body of the Youth, which was brought into being during the first five or ten minutes. This bond was then strengthened and deepened in the hearts of both sides during every succeeding session. This generation of Bahá’í Youth, the majority of whom have entered the Cause in very recent years, probably for the first time found themselves in the presence of a living link to the four central figures of our Faith and particularly Shoghi Effendi. I felt as if through her radiant and lively personality they were able to feel the ever-present spirit of our beloved Guardian. Through her they saw him as a man who lived and labored to build up this glorious world-wide community of Bahá’ís—not as a legendary figure.
SOUTH EASTERN STATES SUMMER SCHOOL[edit]
From mid-June to the first week in August when Amatu’l-Bahá left for South America, she travelled constantly. This was a very busy and hectic period. The three days she was able to attend the South Eastern States Summer School in Camp John Hope near Perry, Georgia, was a most wonderful experience, one of its highlights being when “Dizzy” Gillespy played spirituals on his magic trumpet for her. The news of masses embracing the Cause in the southern states has a dual effect on Rúḥíyyih Khánum. It makes her very happy to see at last the wishes and hopes of both the Master and Shoghi Effendi being fulfilled but it also saddens her when she remembers that had the Bahá’ís responded to the call of our beloved Guardian some twenty-five years ago to concentrate on the South if the North was unresponsive, this entering in troops might have taken place during Shoghi Effendi’s lifetime and brought infinite joy to his heart.
VANCOUVER[edit]
The Teaching Conference in Vancouver was a very wonderful occasion during which Amatu’l-Bahá addressed over 700 believers and was able to meet the National Spiritual Assembly. The Bahá’ís of Canada have a very special love for Amatu’l-Bahá. She is their own! At one time she was the only Bahá’í child in the entire country, her beloved mother being “the spiritual mother of Canada”. The great honor that the beloved Guardian bestowed upon the Western world by choosing one he referred to as his “companion” and his “shield” from their midst, has a special meaning for Canada. On her way to Montreal Amatu’l-Bahá stopped for three days to visit the Indian Institute at Fort Qu’Appelle Saskatchewan. Owing to lack of time she was not able on this trip to fulfill her cherished desire of making special visits to the Indian and Eskimo people of North America so that this short stop was a consolation and joy to her heart. The warm reception she received from many Indian Bahá’ís and their friends, the special entertainment given in her honor by them
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and the meetings she was able to have with the friends
all touched her deeply.
MONTREAL[edit]
In Montreal Amatu’l-Bahá stayed in her old home, the “Bahá’í Shrine”, the Maxwell house. It must have brought back to her many memories of her beloved parents and the early years of her life. A large afternoon meeting, attended by believers from far and near, was followed by another large public meeting the same night and a few days later she addressed, in French, the animated and promising Bahá’í community of Quebec city, had a television interview and returned to Montreal. She herself had offered, in spite of lack of time, to give this talk in Quebec as she said she remembered the long years of her youth and childhood when her mother had so longed to see the French Canadian people enter the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and all doors had seemed to be closed in the faces of the Bahá’ís.
SOUTH AMERICA[edit]
On August 5th, on her way to represent the Universal House of Justice at the Continental Conference in La Paz, Bolivia, she stopped for a few days in Lima, Peru and met with her old friends, those whom she had visited in 1967. The accounts of this wonderful South American Conference have been fully reported elsewhere. Suffice it to say that the tremendous pace of the past four months, augmented by the unavoidable pressure put upon her during this Conference, depleted Amatu’l-Bahá’s strength to such an extent that she fell ill immediately after it ended. We hoped that a few days of rest in Brazil would help, but unfortunately it was already too late for just a rest and her condition worsened and developed into pneumonia. After a month in bed in Rio de Janeiro during which she steadily got worse and her doctor absolutely forbade her to go to Africa for at least two months Rúḥíyyih Khánum turned her face towards her dear companion of so many years and flew to Florida to be treated by Dr. Alice Kidder and also consult with her sister Dr. Elizabeth Ober.
GHANA, AFRICA[edit]
When, on November 20th we arrived in Accra, Ghana, Amatu’l-Bahá was still not well enough to resume her strenuous “Safari”. Through the wise council of a Bahá’í doctor we changed our original plan which was to motor up to the North and instead went to Abidjan on the Ivory Coast. We stayed three weeks in Abidjan in comparative quiet and Rúḥíyyih Khánum was able to continue to recuperate. My husband had joined us in Accra and travelled with us for five weeks and Amatu’l-Bahá said this enabled her to rest as he went out to some of the villages where she was not able to go. While in Accra Amatu’l-Bahá was received by the acting Prime Minister Mr. J. Kwesi Lapte (the Prime Minister being absent from the country), the Ministers of Education and Information in a cordial interview lasting over half an hour. She also had a very good television interview.
THE SPIRITUAL DESTINY OF AFRICA[edit]
In a meeting in the Bahá’í Center she spoke on the “Spiritual Destiny of Africa” a talk which is now one of her regular subjects for public meetings. Her theme, in brief is: “Today we stand at a cross roads in history, a dangerous point in the life of mankind. We have an extraordinary amount of advancement, but we are full of prejudices and animosity towards each other. When we look at Asia, ancient, wise, with her religions and philosophies, her uninterrupted memoried past going back to well over three thousand years, we see she lacks the vitality to provide the world with moral leadership, even though she is so deeply spiritual. We look at the white race, which has played such a dynamic role in
Rúḥíyyih Khánum with some Bahá’ís of Pagaza village, Northern Ghana.
world history during the last few centuries, which is the
creator of the present Western civilization, and we see
that this very civilization, having over-stepped the
bounds of all moderation, has become self-destroying,
consumed by a pernicious materialism which threatens
the foundations of affluent society and is at present quite
evidently incapable of providing spiritual and moral
world leadership. What remains is Africa, ancient in
herself but modern in her development, surging forward
with all the vitality of youth, of nations newly born, of a
vast continent awakening to itself.
“The African is fundamentally an unprejudiced man and a spiritual man. The great challenge facing Africans today is not so much how to procure the benefits of modern economy at home, but how to do this without introducing the irreligion, and the intense materialism of the West and its attendant evils and ills.”
In words such as these Rúḥíyyih Khánum has been both encouraging and warning the African people in her lectures. She has been pointing out, particularly in her lectures in Universities and High Schools, that the youth are the future of the world in every country and that the degree to which they are moral and spiritual in their outlook and conduct will be the degree to which they can raise the level of social consciousness in their own country and in the world itself, the whole being dependent on the part for its quality. She often uses the example of gold, how twenty-four karats is pure gold, eighteen karats has six parts of alloy, nine karats much less pure gold, and so on. She stresses the value of individual effort and leadership pointing out that history, in any field, is the story of individual effort affecting the whole and not written by various parties, clubs, societies, congregations and so on. It is always the vision and initiative of one man—whether in the field of art, science, literature, war or politics—that leads the way and therefore, in spite of the vast mass of human beings in the world, each one of us must realize he can, through his beliefs and conduct, distinguish himself and influence society. The youth drink in this encouragement and brighten visibly under the warmth of the love and constructive ideas Rúḥíyyih Khánum pours out on them. She also widely repeats the words of Bahá’u’lláh in which He likened the colored people to the “black pupil of the eye”, pointing out that vision is situated in the pupil alone and that for us Bahá’ís these words of the Manifestation of God have great importance.
ABIDJAN[edit]
The three weeks in Abidjan were a very happy and fruitful period. The dedication and devotion of the friends in this city is truly exemplary. Daily some of the Bahá’ís go out to both near and far towns and villages
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on teaching trips. One of the dear Bahá’ís in this city
has put his car at the disposal of one of the devoted
pioneers and the combined efforts of all concerned is
bringing marked results in paving the way for the establishment of many new communities prior to the election
of the new area National Spiritual Assembly during
Riḍván 1971. The love and unity which exists in the
Bahá’í community of Abidjan is undoubtedly the magnet which attracts the ever-present guidance and assistance of Bahá’u’lláh. Amatu’l-Bahá constantly reminds
the friends that unity is the inexhaustible source of the
confirmations and blessings of Bahá’u’lláh. The friends
meet in Abidjan twice a week to teach the Faith and
deepen their own knowledge of it; often these meetings
continue far into the night.
For the first time during this trip in Africa Rúḥíyyih Khánum was invited by a new believer, a young school teacher to go to an entirely pagan village (in other words, followers of the old religion of Africa) and tell his father, the chief, and his relatives and other villagers about the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh so they would understand what he had accepted in becoming a Bahá’í. In the Ivory Coast these people are called animists. Amatu’l-Bahá’s approach to these people was simple and logical. She said: “There is one God; the God that you worship and call the Creator is the same as the God all men worship. This God has never abandoned men, His children, and always guided them through His Divine messengers. Your religion also came from God, but as it is so very old its source is lost in the mists of time. There were no written records to pass it down.” Then she very simply introduced the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and His life. The old chief, who was the father of our new young Bahá’í, thanked Rúḥíyyih Khánum very politely for coming and sharing her ideas with them and then said: “We have heard you and we like what you said; we will think about it and later give our answer.” Afterwards Rúḥíyyih Khánum told us she was at first very puzzled by this reply, then she realized why he said it. Many years of constant pressure from different sects of Christianity have made these people very suspicious and they thought we had come, like the others, to thrust our belief upon them. This made her very indignant and she said, very firmly: “My friends, I do not want any answer from you ever. I am going away and never coming back. I have brought you this wonderful news, because it is true and because of my love for you, whether you accept it or not is not my concern at all.” She said: “If you go to man’s house and he puts food in front of you, you will eat if you are hungry, but he cannot force you to eat if you are not!” I could see the relief in their eyes as she said this. More Africans still follow the traditional religion of Africa than we realize. They believe that Almighty God is unapproachable by man and needs an intermediary being to reveal to him the Will of God. Of course a lot of superstition is added to this fundamental truth and it would do the Bahá’ís a great deal of good to learn the tolerant approach of Rúḥíyyih Khánum so that they can bring into the Faith these wonderful masses of Africa who have not yet accepted the narrowness and bigotry of the other religions.
Vietnam[edit]
A new minority group called Stieng in BinhLong Province is now joining the Faith by hundreds. A more complete report will be sent later. (From National Spiritual Assembly of Vietnam)
Counsellor Dr. Masih Farhangi and Mrs. Farhangi inspecting some publications at the new Publishing Trust of Pakistan.
Pakistan Publishing Trust Incorporated[edit]
An important goal of the Nine-Year plan was achieved with the incorporation of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Pakistan. Word was received of this accomplishment at the Bahá’í Center in the United States in a letter written on April 1, 1971.
Urdu and Bengali translations of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era have been published and soon they will bring out a facsimile of the Pyramid edition of the same book. Various pamphlets and booklets have been published in Urdu and Sindhi, regional languages of the sub-continent. An ambitious program is underway in the publishing field.
It is expected that Pakistan will fulfill all its goals of the Nine-Year plan.
Messrs. Jehangir S. Mali, and Mr. A. C. Joshi, Trustees of the
Pakistan Publishing Trust and Mr. Sohrab Shishbaradaran,
Managing Trustee.
[Page 21]
Gilbert and Ellice Islands: Bahá’ís attending Teaching Institute,
Dec. 24-28, 1970. In back row, middle, Auxiliary Board member,
Rodney Hancock of Papua and New Guinea and back row, extreme right, Auxiliary Board member Mosese Hokofonu of
Tonga.
Gilbert and Ellice Islands Teaching Institute[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands sponsored a teaching institute on December 24 through 28, 1970 at Bikenibeu, Rarawa. This Institute was the third of its kind held in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands but the second held in the new Teaching Institute building completed in April 1970. The Institute was conducted by Auxiliary Board Members Mr. Rodney Hancock of Papua and New Guinea and Mr. Mosese Hokofonu of Tonga.
There were twenty to twenty-five who attended the four-day Institute followed by a seven-day deepening program for nine prospective traveling teachers, who were able to go within a week to three different islands in groups of two or three. In one instance the ship was diverted from its schedule in order to drop three Bahá’í teachers on an unscheduled island!
Mosese Hokofonu was able to visit one outer island for one month before the Teaching Institute and Rodney Hancock was able, due to the newly established inter-island air service, to visit two islands for one week each. This is the second time in the history of the Faith in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands that a visitor has been able to visit an outer island.
Everyone who attended the Institute agreed that it was very successful and it is hoped many more may be arranged in order to fulfill the goals of the Nine-Year plan and awaken the island people to universal participation.
New York Times Tells of Mass Conversion in South[edit]
The New York Times of Feb. 28, 1971 featured a story on progress in the Faith in the rural South, which totaled sixteen column inches. Datelined from Charlotte, N.C., the article cited “the enrollment of nearly 9,000 converts, most of them rural blacks ... especially the young, many of them poverty stricken ... poorly educated. These people, say the Bahá’ís are more ‘spiritual’ and less ‘materialistic’ than middle-class whites and respond quickly with untutored wisdom to a message that God has sent His people a new prophet. In addition, numbers of young whites are joining the Faith, attracted chiefly by Bahá’í emphasis on peace and elimination of racial prejudice. Bahá’ís ... say their conversions are ... the product of an uneasy, searching people, of a culture looking for new hope.”
Panama Temple Construction - April, 1971[edit]
Steel reinforcing for dome.
Rib being lifted into place.
First 40'—9-ton rib being lifted to be put in place for installation on dome.
Close-up of rib being put in place.
Rib now in place.
[Page 23]
Friends gathered at Temple site for prayers—observing passing of Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander.
At the bottom of the Temple site, and in the distance, is the
Lions Club Camp of Panama. Various organizations sponsor
groups of under-privileged children for week-long camping
trips during the summer months. One day Temple engineer,
Paul Thiele, saw a group of moving heads just visible in the
deep grass. As they approached he could see it was small boys,
some waving white handkerchiefs tied to sticks, assuring
him they came in peace. They excitedly explained they had
been watching the enormous building under construction
and decided to find out what it was. Paul had a fireside with
the youngsters and gave them some pamphlets. All were impressed with what they had learned, promised they would
return, and happily started back down the mountain side.
View from approaching road.
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Mass Teaching
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ALASKA: Proclamation has begun in the Yukon. Formidable weather of 30 degrees below zero hampered but
failed to stop a valiant teaching team who went into this
area and doubled the numbers of the believers in the
Yukon Basin. The team was faced with uncertain travel
arrangements, lack of water, drafty cold floors on which
to sleep and all of the problems of a primitive life, coupled with bone chilling cold. They were rewarded with
the knowledge that they had taken the Message of
Bahá’u’lláh to over 200 persons.
Other regions are reporting with thirteen declarations in Metlaktla. In Wrangell there have been sixteen declarations and in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, nineteen declarations.
BRITISH ISLES: In Manchester on the television program “Seven Days”, four Bahá’ís were able to bring Bahá’í principles into the discussion for at least half of the audience speaking time. Between four and six million people listen to this program and will have heard of the Faith through the medium of television on this occasion.
COLOMBIA: A believer in Colombia wrote, “Here in Barranquilla we have been experiencing something that a few months ago would have seemed practically impossible. There are almost 1,000 Bahá’ís here now! In the area, including Santa Marta and the other areas nearby there are more than 1,000! This amazing growth is so exciting and we are all so stimulated by it—The Divine Power pouring out over all the earth is creating an atmosphere of acceptance and comprehension on the part of the people everywhere, it seems. Today, 118 became Bahá’ís in an area of three or four blocks! Next Riḍván five new Assemblies will be formed in this area and a large group is going out into the Guajira at that time to help with the formation of 120 Assemblies on the Colombian side of the Guajira. Last year there were fifty-seven. In the Southwestern area of Colombia, there are 2,700 in Tumaco, a fishing and cannery town on the Pacific! Most of these entered the Faith during fifteen days in December.
“... when the children in a poor area, after one meeting, can answer questions such as: ‘Who is Bahá’u’lláh?’ — Answer: ‘The Glory of God’; and ‘What does He teach us?’ Answer: ‘Unity, justice, love and peace’ and continue learning while teaching—when the children hear the Message and take our hands and say, ‘Come teach my father and/or my mother’, and several weeks later can answer all the questions and ask for another class, it seems to me they are really Bahá’ís.
“We take slides and projections and amplifiers out into the different areas of the city and use a wall or any flat, clear area for a screen. The people gather and, on one occasion we had around 200 watching the slides. Afterwards, a talk was given and many came forward to sign cards ... all of the people receive the correspondence course.... Some cannot read but we find that in every house there is at least one who can read, usually a child or young person. We have deepening meetings at the center every week.
“This experience of seeing hundreds enter in a couple of hours is something which has to be seen to be believed! It is the most marvelous experience there is, bar none.”
(Extracts from a letter to Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum by an individual believer in Colombia).
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INDIA: In Rajasthan the friends from Jaipur report that their goal of opening 500 new localities has been successfully completed. They are now concentrating their energies in deepening the friends in the Faith they have embraced.
In Gujarat one teacher successfully opened over one hundred new localities. The Regional Teaching Committee is hopeful that it will complete the goal of opening 500 new localities by Riḍván.
Bangalore reports that during the month of January about 500 new believers have come into the Faith.
SWAZILAND: Mass teaching has started in at least two areas of Swaziland. One in the south at Mantombi where some 150 people have declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh as the Great Messenger of God for this day and have promised to spread the Message ... The other is central between the Black and White Umbuluzi Rivers with approximately fifty new believers. In these areas the new Bahá’ís are already teaching others and people are coming and asking the new believers to tell them of the Faith! At a meeting held in the Kraal of a chief for the purpose of settling an argument among some of his people, he mentioned afterwards his amazement to see so many of his people ... Bahá’ís. He feels the Faith will be of great value to his people in that it will unite them.”
EL SALVADOR: From 50 to 100 new believers are accepting the Cause in El Salvador weekly. The friends report that they feel the sense of urgency that drives them to tell everyone about the Blessed Perfection as quickly as possible.
SOLOMON ISLANDS: Counsellor Suhayl ‘Alá’í recently visiting in the Solomon Islands reported, “On the day we arrived here (Malaita) ... we left on a 25 foot boat for the southern part of Malaita for the formerly pagan village of Lau Lasi and the village of Hau Hui which are seventy-five percent Bahá’í.
Many other religions have tried to convert these people without success. The Catholics in the islands told the Bahá’ís to go ahead and try and now seem concerned to see the remarkable change in the islanders, who have gained hope and happiness.
(From BAHÁ’Í INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE, Haifa, Israel)
Members of the Bahá’í community of Bhaktapur, Nepal. The first nine members of this community all joined on the first day of Riḍván, 1970. Pioneer Keith De Folo, on left. Photo was taken when visited by the Featherstones. Madge is at right and Geoffrey, in rear, behind her.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee: Mrs. Evelyn Hardin, Managing Editor; Miss Charlotte Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative; Mr. Rexford C. Parmelee, Mrs. Sylvia 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 Membership and Records, National Bahá’í Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A. 60091.
