Bahá’í News/Issue 506/Text

From Bahaiworks

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No. 506 BAHA’I YEAR 130 MAY, 1973
Mansion Mazra‘ih Purchased
March 15, 1973
Haifa, Israel

OCCASION NAW-RÚZ 130 JOYOUSLY ANNOUNCE BAHÁ’Í WORLD ACQUISITION BY PURCHASE MANSION MAZRA‘IH RESULT SEVERAL YEARS PATIENT PERSISTENT DETERMINED NEGOTIATIONS THEREBY ADDING TO BAHÁ’Í ENDOWMENTS HOLY LAND FIRST RESIDENCE BAHÁ’U’LLÁH AFTER NINE YEARS SPENT WALLED PRISON CITY ‘AKKÁ. CONTROL THIS HOLY SITE RE-ACQUIRED BY BELOVED GUARDIAN AFTER LAPSE MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS WHEN HE SECURED LEASE MANSION 1950 EXTENDED TO PRESENT TIME. PURCHASE INCLUDES LAND AREA APPROXIMATING TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND SQUARE METERS HIGHLY SUITABLE EXTENSION GARDENS CULTIVATION. OFFERING PRAYER THANKSGIVING SACRED THRESHOLD THIS GREATLY CHERISHED BOUNTY.

—THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

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Shared Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá[edit]


Mrs. Rouhieh McComb, as a child of eight, with the Master.


Rare, first-hand memories of the Center of the Covenant, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, were shared by seven Bahá’ís who had the honor of meeting Him, when they addressed the Intercalary Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 24 and 25, sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Shorewood. More than 200 attended the special dinner Saturday evening, with Counsellor Miss Edna True as guest speaker.

Other speakers at the event included: Mrs. Muriel Ives Newhall, daughter of Howard Colby Ives, of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Mrs. Rouhieh McComb, of Glenwood Landing, New York; Miss Sophie Loeding, Miss Marie Bohman and Miss Elfie Lundberg, of Chicago and Wilmette; and Wisconsin Bahá’ís, Miss Muriel Peterson, of Racine, and Mrs. Grace Anderson, of Waukesha. Mr. Glenford Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, and Mr. Wyatt Cooper, for many years superintendent of the Bahá’í properties in Wilmette, were also guest speakers at the Conference.

“Long before His visit to the West, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was known to the believers in the Western world through the flow of His tablets, and through news brought by returning pilgrims,” commented Miss True. “He taught us that He was not unhappy in prison. He was unhappy only when the friends were disunited. On my first pilgrimage to Haifa, in 1919, it was recalled by members of the Holy Family how, during the period between Bahá’u’lláh’s exile from Adrianople and His arrival in Akká, His small band of followers and family would each day be subjected to fresh rumors that they were going to be separated from Him and sent to other prisons. They were much distressed. At each stage of their journey, they were in anguish at the possibility of separation. When they finally reached the prison cell in Akká and the doors were locked behind them, they burst into song, so grateful were they to be united with their Beloved!

“It is this unity,” continued Miss True, “which the Master sought to bring amongst the believers throughout His travels in the West. When He traveled in this country, He frequently said that we could be the cause of His happiness, if we were united.” With similar stories, Miss True brought to her hearers glimpses of the compassion, vitality and love of the greatest Mystery of God, the Perfect Exemplar.

It was especially delightful for those attending the Conference to gaze on an enlargement of a picture of the Master with an eight-year-old child, sitting next to Him in 1912, and then listen to the memories of that child, Mrs. Rouhieh McComb. Making her first appearance at any Bahá’í Conference, Mrs. McComb drew on a wealth of small incidents which she had witnessed or experienced with the Master.

She recalled the moment, seated beside Him at a table in New York, when the host was busy with his many guests and didn’t respond to her request for a glass of water. The Master took the glass from His own place and gave it to her, filling her plate with food at the same time. In the same manner, her childish fear that the fruit which He was giving to visitors bidding Him farewell on board the ship, before His departure for Europe, might be finished before her turn, was quelled when He not only filled her hands with fruit and wrapped candies, but also gave her the basket.

Mrs. McComb shared a number of tablets from the Perfect Exemplar, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, including this one:


Mrs. McComb (far right), with her son, Robert, and Mrs. Muriel Ives Newhall (left).


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HE IS GOD!

Oh thou maid-servant of God!

I ask God that thou mayest become firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament and be engaged in the service of the Kingdom of God.

The maid-servant of God, (Rouhieh) Musette Montana Jones, must pray at the Threshold of God and say:

“O Thou God! I am a child; train me under the shade of Thy Providence. I am a new flower; water me by the downpour of the cloud of Thy Mercy. I am a plant of the orchard of Thy Love; make me a fruitful tree. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful and Thou art the Kind, the Wise and the Seer.”

(signed) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbás

(Translated September 1, 1909, Chicago, Illinois)


The Conference opened Saturday morning with reminiscences of Howard Colby Ives by his daughter, Mrs. Muriel Ives Newhall. She recalled the dynamic energy and enthusiasm of her father, his personal transformation through the example and presence of the Master, and his later service to the Faith as an ardent and sacrificing teacher. “It seems fitting to have heard recently,” she mentioned, “that following a big proclamation program near the place in Arkansas where father is buried, the youth drove to the cemetery, circled his grave, said prayers and recounted the victories.”

“Father was always so interested in the progress of the Cause,” she continued, “and to the end of his life worked to achieve goals which had been set by the Master and by the beloved Guardian.” Mrs. Newhall, whose enrollment in the Faith occurred twenty years after the visit of the Master, shared vivid memories of being in His presence in the company of her father.

A general tribute to the Master was given by Miss Sophie Loeding, who described the courses of classes held in the earliest days of the Faith in America. “At that time, interested persons came to a series of classes held weekly, and at the closing class were told the Greatest Name and then permitted to enroll.” She displayed wooden prayer beads sent by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with Mrs. Lua Getsinger for herself and members of her family.

“Young people today have a great opportunity to be of service guiding at the House of Worship,” said Miss


Mrs. Newhall speaking of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Saturday evening, with Mrs. Grace Anderson and Mrs. Muriel Peterson on her left, and Miss Sophie Loeding, far right.


Marie Bohman. “In the time of the Master, the House of Worship was a dream. Now it stands, and attracts people from all corners of the earth. As guides, we have the privilege of meeting and speaking with these people. Let us serve the Master, as He served us—this is one way it may be accomplished.”

In a touching, word-picture of her mother by Miss Elfie Lundberg, the audience heard of the days when Mrs. Lundberg, a Swedish immigrant who had been widowed, operated a small bakery in Chicago. Although very busy, she still found time to serve dinner to the Bahá’í community when they met for Feasts in her home, and was shown many kindnesses by the center of the Covenant, during His visit to Chicago.

Each speaker in turn mentioned her unworthiness to attempt to speak of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Then, in simple phrases, each brought to life for the audience varied aspects of His appearance and Teachings. The guests of honor received specially-mounted portraits of the Master, prepared by Sam Dadian, of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, and the dinner guests received a reprint of the

(Continued on page 16)


Miss Elfie Lundberg


Miss Marie Bohman.


L. Wyatt Cooper, Superintendent of Properties, Wilmette, for many years.


Counsellor Miss Edna True.


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The Nine Year Plan[edit]

In April 1964 The Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Bahá’í world community, unveiled a Nine Year Plan of growth and expansion. The call to action, contained in its message to the Bahá’í world, had been eagerly anticipated and therefore did not come as a surprise. Moreover the Bahá’ís already had a century-old tradition of propagating their Faith. The latest plan, they knew, was to be only one of a series of world-circling enterprises that would eventually lead to the establishment of a peaceful society, a World Order, and a world civilization.

Yet as they read the text of the April 1964 message, the Bahá’ís were staggered by the magnitude of the task placed before them. In the short span of nine years they were to triple the numbers of localities where Bahá’ís reside; build houses of worship; acquire a large number of temple sites, national centers, local centers, and teacher-training institutes; translate Bahá’í literature into a hundred languages; establish several new publishing trusts; increase the financial resources of the Cause; and achieve a great number of other significant objectives.

From its very inception the Bahá’í Faith imposed upon its adherents the obligation to spread the Teachings and promote the Cause of God. The belief that the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh had initiated a new cycle in the religious history of mankind and inaugurated the era of universal brotherhood was in itself a compelling reason for sharing the knowledge of the new Revelation with the rest of mankind.

Soon after the Báb proclaimed His mission in Shíráz in 1844, He gathered His early followers and urged them to “Ponder the words of Jesus addressed to His disciples, as He sent them forth to propagate the Cause of God. In words such as these, He bade them arise and fulfill their mission: ‘Ye are even as the fire which in the darkness of the night has been kindled upon the mountain-top. Let your light shine before the eyes of men.’ ” Like Jesus before Him, the Báb asked His followers to pray that “no earthly entanglements, no worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits, may tarnish the purity, or embitter the sweetness” that flowed into the world through them.

I am preparing you for the advent of a mighty Day. Exert your utmost endeavor that, in the world to come, I, who am now instructing you, may, before the mercy-seat of God, rejoice in your deeds and glory in your achievements. The secret of the Day that is to come is now concealed.... Scatter throughout the length and breadth of this land and, with steadfast feet and sanctified hearts, prepare the way for His coming. Heed not your weaknesses and frailty; fix your gaze upon the invincible power of the Lord, your God, the Almighty.... Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory.


The eighteen initial disciples of the Báb, called Letters of the Living, traveled through Persia and ‘Iráq, bringing the Báb’s Message to hundreds who, in turn, took it to thousands more. When the Báb was martyred in 1850, the Faith had been firmly established in two countries: Írán and ‘Iráq.

Bahá’u’lláh, like the Báb, urged the believers to teach the Faith:

It is incumbent, in this Day, upon every man to place his whole trust in the manifold bounties of God, and arise to disseminate, with the utmost wisdom, the verities of His Cause....

Say: Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá, for God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds....

God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of teaching His Cause. Whoever ariseth to discharge this duty, must needs, ere he proclaimeth His Message, adorn himself with the ornament of an upright and praiseworthy character, so that his words may attract the hearts of such as are receptive ...


The Bábi veterans were now joined by thousands of new converts who, during the forty years of Bahá’u’lláh’s Ministry, took the Faith to Turkey, Egypt and the Sudan, India and Burma, the Caucasus and Turkestan. When Bahá’u’lláh passed on in 1892, Bahá’í communities existed in at least thirteen countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

It was during the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, however, that the Faith first received worldwide attention. His American and European travels in 1911-1912, during which He visited France, Germany, Britain, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States, provided the Bahá’ís with a model of love, dedication, determination, wisdom, and sacrifice that set the example for all their subsequent teaching activities. By the time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left this world, thirty-five countries had been opened to the Faith.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá constantly urged the Bahá’ís to perfect their individual character and teach the Cause:

Consort with all the peoples, kindreds and religions of the world with the utmost truthfulness, uprightness, faithfulness, kindliness, goodwill and friendliness, that all the world of being may be filled with the holy ecstasy of the grace of Bahá, that ignorance, enmity, hate and rancor may vanish from the world and the darkness of estrangement amidst the peoples and kindreds of the world may give way to the Light of Unity. Should other peoples and nations be unfaithful to you, show your fidelity unto them; should they be unjust toward you, show justice towards them; should they keep aloof from you, attract them to yourself; should they show their enmity, be friendly towards them; should they poison your lives, sweeten their souls; should they inflict a wound upon you, be a salve to their sores. Such are the attributes of the sincere! Such are the attributes of the truthful....


During World War I ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed to the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada a series of epistles, or tablets (alváḥ), in which He invited every one of them to spread the Faith on the American continent and beyond. In the first message, dated April 8, 1916, He called for Alaska, Mexico, the Central American republics, the West Indies, and all of South America to be opened to the Cause. The second message, dated April 11, 1916, directed the attention of His North American followers to the Pacific with its thousands of islands, to Asia, Africa, and Europe. In these and subsequent

[Page 5] messages, the last one dated February 15, 1917, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave the North American Bahá’ís a comprehensive plan for the propagation of the Faith throughout most of the world. The epistles, immediately named Tablets of the Divine Plan, became the charter of teaching activity for the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada and, ultimately, of the entire world.

The implementation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s design necessitated long and thorough preparation. Before they could embark on worldwide teaching campaigns, the Bahá’ís had to create the institutions that would mobilize, sustain, unify, and lead the community. Thus the building of the Administrative Order became the main concern of the Bahá’í community after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in 1921. During this period of building the rate of the expansion of the Cause slowed down appreciably; and a casual observer could very well have concluded, with the British Orientalist, Sir Denison Ross, that the Faith had proved a transitory phenomenon which had reached the natural limits of its growth in the early years of the twentieth century. Such observers, of course, were totally unaware of the achievements of the Bahá’í community in the years between 1922 and 1937.

Under the leadership of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Cause of God and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s successor as Head of the Bahá’í community, the Bahá’ís built the institutions ordained by Bahá’u’lláh. These consisted of Local Spiritual Assemblies in every locality where the number of adult adherents reached nine, National Spiritual Assemblies, and a complex of ancillary bodies charged with the performance of hundreds of services needed by the community.

The rate at which these institutions were built varied from country to country. In the United States and Canada the initial phase of the process was completed by 1936. American and Canadian Bahá’ís were now ready to begin carrying out the task assigned them in the Tablets of the Divine Plan. That same year Shoghi Effendi called upon them to initiate their first systematic teaching campaign and thus to begin discharging the sacred duty imposed upon them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá twenty years earlier:

A systematic, carefully conceived, and well-established plan should be devised, rigorously pursued and continuously extended. Initiated by the National representatives of the American believers, the vanguard and standard-bearers of the radiant army of Bahá’u’lláh, this plan should receive the wholehearted, the sustained and ever-increasing support, both moral and financial, of the entire body of His followers in that continent. Its supreme immediate objective should be the permanent establishment of at least one center in every state of the American Republic and in every Republic of the American continent not yet enlisted under the banner of His Faith.... The American community must muster all its force, concentrate its resources, summon to its aid all the faith, the determination and energies of which it is capable, and set out, single-minded and undaunted, to attain still greater heights in its mighty exertions for the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.


The goals set by Shoghi Effendi struck the American Bahá’ís as daring and difficult. Was he not himself to characterize their community as “relatively negligible in its numerical strength; ... bereft in the main of material resources and lacking in experience and in prominence; ... having to contend, ever since its inception, and in an ever-increasing measure, with the forces of corruption, of moral laxity, and ingrained ‎ prejudice‎ ...”? Indeed, their numbers were few, their abilities limited, their financial resources small. Yet they had already compiled a brilliant record of achievement.

What other community [Shoghi Effendi asked] ... has been instrumental in fixing the pattern, and in imparting the original impulse, to the administrative institutions that constitute the vanguard of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh? What other community has been capable of demonstrating, with such consistency, the resourcefulness, the discipline, the iron determination, the zeal and perseverance, the devotion and fidelity, so indispensable to the erection and the continued extension of the framework within which those nascent institutions can alone multiply and mature? ... What other community has produced pioneers combining to such a degree the essential qualities of audacity, of consecration, of tenacity, of self-renunciation, and unstinted devotion, that have prompted them to abandon their homes, and forsake their all, and scatter over the surface of the globe, and hoist in its uttermost corners the triumphant banner of Bahá’u’lláh?


Thus their material weakness was outweighed by a spiritual strength that permitted them to transcend their limitations and win magnificent victories. The same spiritual characteristics would now assure the fulfillment of the first Seven Year Plan.

The termination of the first Seven Year Plan coincided with the celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the Faith in May 1944. Two years later Shoghi Effendi inaugurated the second Seven Year Plan. In addition to domestic objectives, American Bahá’ís were charged with the establishment of National Spiritual Assemblies in Canada, Central America, and South America. However, their most pressing objective was “the initiation of systematic teaching activity in war-torn, spiritually famished European continent, cradle of world-famed civilizations, twice-blest by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visits, whose rulers Bahá’u’lláh specifically and collectively addressed, aiming at establishment of Assemblies in the Iberian Peninsula, the Low Countries, the Scandinavian states, and Italy.”

No sooner had the objectives of this Plan been achieved than the Bahá’í world community, now established in no less than 125 countries and dependencies on every continent of the globe, was propelled into a new and even mightier enterprise: the Ten Year International Teaching and Consolidation Plan, calling for the doubling of countries and territories open to the Faith, the quadrupling of National Spiritual Assemblies, the seven-fold multiplication of national administrative headquarters (Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds), the establishment of six national Bahá’í publishing trusts, the translation of Bahá’í literature into ninety-one additional languages, the acquisition of land for eleven future temples (three in America, three in Africa, two in Asia, two in Europe, and one in Australia), and the accomplishment of hundreds of various goals on every continent.

The distinctive characteristic of the Ten Year Crusade, as this Plan became known, was its completely international nature. Though its principle executors were to be the twelve then existing National Spiritual Assemblies, the achievement of the goals assigned to each required constant cooperation among them. Joint activity could not fail to produce a greater sense of international commitment and of membership in a multinational, varied, yet united, world community. The hundreds of pioneers (teachers privileged to open virgin

[Page 6] territories or to establish Bahá’í administrative institutions in newly opened areas), who immediately responded to Shoghi Effendi’s call, came from every part of the world, spoke dozens of languages, and represented dozens of ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.

Though an enterprise of such magnitude could not possibly have been carried out without some revisions of the original objectives due to unforeseen changes in circumstances, the Ten Year Plan was a resounding success. The degree of maturity and strength achieved by the Bahá’í community was dramatically demonstrated in 1957 when Shoghi Effendi, its beloved leader for thirty-six years, passed away. The staggering loss did not cause disarray in Bahá’í ranks, and the unity of the Cause was not breached by a few who tried to sow confusion and advance their own interests and ambitions. The great Crusade was pursued with redoubled determination under the stewardship of the Hands of the Cause of God, outstanding individuals appointed by Shoghi Effendi in his lifetime to protect and propagate the Faith. Like the healthy young organism that it was, the Bahá’í community quickly recovered from the blow and proceeded to win the goals set for it by its departed Guardian, Shoghi Effendi.

The accomplishments of the Ten Year International Bahá’í Teaching and Consolidation Plan are too numerous to be summarized here. However, a few highlights must be mentioned. Preliminary measures had been taken for the future construction of Bahá’u’lláh’s Sepulchre in the Holy Land. The number of countries and territories penetrated by the Faith had been more than doubled, with forty-three having been opened in Asia, thirty-seven in Africa, twenty-one in Europe, and thirty in the Americas. Bahá’í literature had been translated into 220 additional languages. Two more Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs (houses of worship) had been built—one in Africa and one in Australia. The original goal of eleven sites for future temples had been surpassed with the purchase of no less than forty-six such sites. Twenty-two National Spiritual Assemblies had been formed in the Americas, thirteen in Europe, eight in Asia, three in Africa, and one in Australasia. Seven new publishing trusts had been established. The Crusade came to a triumphal conclusion in the spring of 1963 with the election of The Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Bahá’í Faith.

Surveying the gains of the preceding ten years, few could have even imagined the tremendous further acceleration in the spread of the Faith. The very existence of The Universal House of Justice, it seems, poured fresh energy into the rapidly growing body of believers everywhere. Allowing the Bahá’ís only a year’s respite, The Universal House of Justice launched the first of its own plans of worldwide expansion of the Cause. Among the objectives of the first Nine Year Plan were: The development of the relationship between the Bahá’í International Community and the United Nations; the holding of Oceanic and Intercontinental Conferences; the opening of seventy virgin territories; the raising of forty-six new national spiritual assemblies; the acquisition of fifty-two national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and sixty-two temple sites; the translation of Bahá’í literature into one hundred and thirty-three more languages; the establishment of four more national publishing trusts, four more summer/winter schools, and thirty-two teaching institutes; raising the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies to 13,737, and of localities where Bahá’ís reside to 54,102.

So numerous and varied were the goals of the Nine Year Plan that a simple breakdown and analysis required a thirty-eight page pamphlet, while five years later a statistical booklet that included information on the then current status of the Plan ran to 104 pages.

The years from 1964 to 1973 saw the worldwide Bahá’í community transformed almost beyond recognition. Hundreds of thousands of new believers were enrolled in India, on the islands of the Pacific, in the mountain fastnesses of South America. While only a generation ago it was possible for any interested person to memorize the list of all the places where Bahá’ís were to be found, it now became difficult to remember even the countries, territories, and principal islands opened to the Faith. While new Bahá’ís tended to take this progress for granted, or even expressed impatience with its “slow” pace, older believers could hardly recognize the community whose growth made all statistical materials obsolete as soon as they were published.

In the United States the Bahá’í community grew at least six-fold in nine years. In January 1972, a year and a half before the termination of the Plan, the number of localities where Bahá’ís resided surpassed the goal by 1,761 and stood at 4,761, while the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies reached 800, surpassing the goal by 200. Thousands of Blacks joined the Cause, particularly in South Carolina which in 1972 had more Bahá’ís than there were in all of the United States in 1937. The influx of minorities changed the character of the Bahá’í community, making it even more diverse and dynamic. Simultaneously, the unprecedentedly large proportion of youth among the new converts, radically changed the age distribution and brought additional vigor to the community.

In the very message that launched the Nine Year Plan The Universal House of Justice spoke of the requirement of moral development, quoting the words of Shoghi Effendi that “One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.”

Behind the impressive statistics of territories opened to the Faith, Local and National Assemblies formed, temple sites and Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds acquired, literature translated, there lay the even more impressive substance of love, devotion, and enthusiasm. Personal experience and spiritual growth, however, are elusive entities, hard to capture on paper and impossible to quantify. Only the future will reveal the full measure of sacrifice made by the thousands of pioneers, itinerant teachers, and humble workers in the administrative institutions of the Cause, without whom neither this nor any other plan could have been achieved.

College students, doctors, nurses, mechanics and technicians, teachers, farmers, alone and in families, the pioneers made their way to tropical islands, to mountain villages, to the frozen expanses of the Arctic, to teeming cities in distant lands. Some were struck with disease, some died at their posts, all suffered from loneliness, a few had to return, but a vast majority are still in the field.

For most of them pioneering has become the central experience of their lives. Having obeyed Bahá’u’lláh’s command to arise and teach the Faith, they have of necessity deepened their own knowledge of the Writings. Having given up the security of home for the unknown trials in foreign lands, they have experienced self-denial and renunciation which could not fail to affect their spiritual development. Thrown upon their own resources abroad, they could not do other than rely on God’s assistance and protection, deriving strength and assurance from the Source of all strength. While a very few proved unable to withstand the strain, most grew in stature and achieved inner confidence and peace.

At the conclusion of the Nine Year Plan the Bahá’í community, proud of its accomplishments, cannot forget

[Page 7] the magnitude of the tasks that lie ahead. The Plan whose triumphant fulfillment we now celebrate is only one of a long series of crusades destined to bring Bahá’u’lláh’s healing message to mankind. At a comparable moment twenty-one years ago, Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Cause, addressed to the Bahá’ís of the world these impassioned and immortal words:

No matter how long the period that separates them from ultimate victory; however arduous the task; however formidable the exertions demanded of them; however dark the days which mankind, perplexed and sorely-tried, must, in its hour of travail, traverse; however severe the tests with which they who are to redeem its fortunes will be confronted; however afflictive the darts which their present enemies, as well as those whom Providence, will, through His mysterious dispensations raise up from within or from without, may rain upon them ... I adjure them, by the precious blood that flowed in such great profusion, by the lives of the unnumbered saints and heroes who were immolated, by the supreme, the glorious sacrifice of the Prophet-Herald of our Faith, by the tribulations which its Founder Himself, willingly underwent, so that His Cause might live, His Order might redeem a shattered world and its glory might suffuse the entire planet—I adjure them, as this solemn hour draws nigh, to resolve never to flinch, never to hesitate, never to relax, until each and every objective in the Plans to be proclaimed, at a later date, has been fully consummated.

Extracts from the editorial in the Spring 1973
edition of WORLD ORDER MAGAZINE

International Youth Conference, Paramaribo, Surinam[edit]

The first International Bahá’í Youth Conference held in Paramaribo, Surinam, South America, took place December 29 through 31, 1972 at the music school, Volks Muziek Centrum. The Conference was especially for Bahá’í youth of Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana.

The first activity on Friday morning was a courtesy call on the Governor of Surinam, His Excellency Mr. Johan Ferrier, made by a delegation from the Conference. Miss Ilse Fenseca presented the volume The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh. Mr. Marcel MacNack of Paramaribo gave a selection of pamphlets about the Faith.

The Governor recalled the visit he received three years earlier from Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum and said it was always a pleasure for him to meet Bahá’ís and that he hoped the Faith would make progress in Surinam. When, in the conversation it was mentioned that all people are “the fruits of one tree and leaves of one branch” he expressed his feeling that this described Surinam with its variety of peoples. After photos were taken the delegation departed. Later that morning another delegation paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Education, Mr. Jan Adhin.

The Conference began at 5 p.m. at the music school. Three languages were ‎ used‎; English was translated into Taki-Taki and Dutch by Rosanne Franklin, a youth from Surinam. Counsellor Donald Witzel, the first speaker, used the theme “Living the Life”. He developed the ideas by visual aids, illustrating the human body and discussing characteristics such as truthfulness, courtesy, humility, purity of heart, unity, love, moderation and justice.

On Saturday morning Counsellor Hooper Dunbar led a discussion about life after death. There were many interesting questions, some related to the death of infants and children, and before birth. All of these, including the Bahá’í teaching regarding reincarnation were presented in full. After lunch Mrs. Helen Hornby of Colombia posed a question to the youth for a prize, which was correctly answered by Anthony Dumont from Allen Dale, Guyana, who received a photo of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. She pointed out the important role of youth in the future.

On Sunday morning after gathering at the music school, all took a long journey to Cole Kreek to meet with the Bush Negroes. Their clothes of many colors represented a beautiful flower garden of humanity and many photos were taken after prayers and songs. Mr. Lennard Wilkie of Trinidad presided over the meeting and a short discussion was held on why the Faith is important. Talks were given by Counsellor Dunbar, and Auxiliary Board members Jamshid Arjomandi and Habib Rezvani, who spoke about Badí who delivered the important Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the Shah of Persia. Ed and Ellen Widmer of Georgetown talked on the life of Ethel Murray, United States homefront pioneer who moved to the Cherokee Reservation in South Carolina in response to the call of the Guardian.

After a time out for swimming and other recreation, the program continued with a talk by Counsellor Witzel about firmness in the Covenant and promotion of the Faith. Then came the long journey back to Paramaribo. The youth left the Conference singing the praises of Bahá’u’lláh.


Photo shows the delegation from the International Youth Conference held in Paramaribo, Surinam, visiting the Governor, His Excellency Mr. Johan Ferrier. Shown left to right are Marcel MacNack from Surinam, Auxiliary Board member Habib Rezvani from Colombia, August Holland and Ilse Fonseca from Surinam, The Governor, Edna Ruth Caverly from Trinidad (observer), Junior Dolphin from Guyana, and Auxiliary board member Jamshid Arjomandi from Surinam.


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Irish Hand of the Cause of God, George Townshend[edit]

By O.Z. Whitehead


George Townshend


Perhaps Hand of the Cause George Townshend had in mind his own destiny when he wrote in The Heart of the Gospel the following:

“The whole Bible gave voice to God’s demand from man of ... increasing spiritual effort, but no one else sets the demand so high nor insists upon it with such sternness as the Lord Christ. Every other effort, He urges, and every other aim is to be subordinated to this. Every other loyalty is to be postponed to it. None is to allow any danger to deter him nor any difficulty to discourage him. If need be, pain, persecution, shame and even death must be faced; at any cost, the effort to walk in God’s way and to follow after righteousness must be maintained. No other effort is so richly rewarded; and neglect of this effort brings its own dire retribution.”1

Painstaking historians of the future will undoubtedly write in great detail about the life of George Townshend. His family is listed in Burke’s Landed Gentry of Ireland. Born at Hatley, Burlington Road, Dublin, on June 14, 1876, George Townshend went to school at Uppingham and Hertford College, Oxford. Fond of tennis and cross country running, he did both well in College.

After he had graduated from College in 1899 he returned to Dublin and studied for the Irish Bar. During part of this time he did leader writing for The Irish Times. Called to the Bar in 1903, he was apparently not satisfied with his profession or with life in Ireland. After a year his father sent him to the United States of America.

In 1906 he became a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Placed in charge of a mission in Provo for the next four years he worked among the Mormons and American Indians. In 1910 he accepted an appointment to the staff of The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. Two years later he was made Assistant Professor of English at the same University.

Although he had already become an American citizen in July of 1916, on a trip back to Ireland he decided to live there again. Shortly afterward he started to work as a curate at Booterstown, County Dublin.

The Bahá’í Faith Comes to Townshend[edit]

A year after his return to Ireland George Townshend received from a friend in America a few pamphlets with quotations from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. As a result of reading them he was never to be the same again. Not deterred by conflicting doctrines of the Church and the many man-made interpretations of scripture, Mr. Townshend was able to see beyond these to the Reality of Jesus Christ. Without going through periods of doubt and agnosticism, Mr. Townshend made a beautiful transition, denied to many of Christian background, from firm belief in Jesus to an unqualified acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh.

Appointed Rector of Ahascragh, County Galway, in January 1919, several months after his marriage, he and his wife, Nancy, moved there to live in a large Georgian house overlooking an attractive landscape. Soon after they had settled there he first wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and this Tablet was received in reply:

To his honor, Mr. George Townshend, Galway, Ireland; Upon him be greeting and praise.

He is God!


O thou who art thirsty for the fountain of Truth.

Thy letter was received and the account of thy life has been known. Praised be to God that thou hast ever, like unto the nightingale, sought the divine rose garden and like unto the verdure of the meadow yearned for the outpourings of the cloud of guidance. That is why thou hast been transferred from one condition to another until ultimately thou hast attained unto the fountain of Truth, has illuminated thy sight, hast revived and animated thy heart, hast chanted verses of guidance and hast turned thy face towards the enkindled fire on the Mount of Sinai.

At present, I pray on thy behalf ... Upon thee be Bahá’u’l-Abha’.

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbas
July 24 1919.


During 1920 Mr. Townshend wrote a deeply moving poem, consisting of six short verses, to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. It shows a deep love for Him and recognition of His Station. In the second verse he writes:

Child of the darkness that wandered in gloom
but dreamed of the light
Lo! I have seen Thy splendor ablaze in the
heavens afar,
Showering gladness and glory and shattering the
shadow of night,
And seen no other star.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent him this Tablet:

His honor the Reverend George Townshend, Ireland.
Upon him be Bahá’u’lláh el Abhá!
He is God!

O Thou illumined soul and revered personage in the Kingdom! Your letter has been received. Every word indicateth the progress and upliftment of thy spirit and conscience. These heavenly susceptibilities of yours form a magnet which attracts the confirmation of the Kingdom of God; and so the doors of the realities and meanings will be open unto you, and the confirmation of the Kingdom of God will envelop you. The heart of man is like unto a nest, and the Teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh like unto a sweet singing bird. Unquestionably from this nest the melody of the Kingdom will be transmitted to the

[Page 9]

ears bestowing heavenly susceptibilities upon the souls and quickening upon the spirits. It is my hope that your church will come under the Heavenly Jerusalem. Be assured thou are under the favors of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh. Unto thee be the glory of Abhá!

(Signed) ‎ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‎ ‘Abbás
December 19, 1920.

(Translated by Lutfulláh S. Hakim)


Townshend and the Church[edit]

In 1932 his fellow clergymen elected George Townshend, among eight others, a Canon of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A year later he became Archdeacon of Clonfert. Some time after this he twice refused a Bishopric.

George Townshend had thought at first that the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh would reform the Christian Church from within. He could not understand why he should leave the Church. In the Master’s lifetime many Bahá’ís remained in the Church. It was not until some time after the Guardian’s ministry had begun that the believers were instructed to leave their Churches.

In 1936 the Guardian was asked to represent the Cause at the World Fellowship of Faiths in London. In his place he sent George Townshend who went there in his clerical vestments in July and read a paper called “Bahá’u’lláh’s Ground Plan of World Fellowship.” The abdication of King Edward VI on the next day kept his paper from attracting much attention.

The writer had occasionally met with Townshend’s son, Bryan, and the two often had lunch together in Dublin. On one such occasion Bryan was asked if his father ever mentioned the Bahá’í Faith to his congregation. The reply was: “Yes, when he was giving a sermon as a Canon at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, just after the fall of France in 1940. His remarks were: ‘There is only one person who can heal the world of its present ills. His name is Bahá’u’lláh!’ ” After the service Townshend asked Bryan if he heard what was said, and the reply being in the affirmative Townshend continued: “That is the first time that anyone has mentioned Bahá’u’lláh publicly in Ireland.”


St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland

Photo by Courtesy Irish Press, Dublin


This enormous Cathedral of St. Patrick deserves further mention. It was begun in 1220 and finished in 1260, built on the site of a succession of earlier churches. A tradition links the Irish Saint Patrick to a holy well, near the site of the Cathedral. The building interior has an atmosphere of belonging to another age. “On a sunny day, when brilliant shafts of light slant down from above making the dark corners of this massive building even more than usually silent and mysterious, St. Patrick’s can evoke the most convincing illusion of peace and security”, thus wrote Desmond Guinness in his Portrait of Dublin.

The writer recalled a visit to this Cathedral, accompanied by Hand of the Cause of God A. Q. Faizi and Adib Taherzadeh. Upon entering they slowly walked around it, each saying a prayer, doubtless as Dr. Townshend had prayed countless times in these same places, that the congregation and people would dispell their illusive veils and be enabled to recognize the Spirit of Truth. Mr. Faizi mentioned that the Master had prayed that Dr. Townshend’s congregation would follow him into the Faith.

Bryan Townshend had said that his father wrote books about the Bahá’í Faith while still in the Church and wanted to leave it in 1939 and put all his energies into work for the Faith. He was not able to do this. Though Townshend’s wife had a small income it was not enough for the family to live on. A pilgrim’s remark after visiting the Guardian assured Dr. Townshend that he would finally leave the Church.

In 1947 a clergyman of the Church of England in India wrote the Archbishop of Canterbury that George Townshend’s books were converting people to the Bahá’í Faith. The Archbishop sent this letter to the Archbishop of Ireland. The Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a friend of Dr. Townshend, took him into a private room and said that he must either refute what he had written or resign.

[Page 10] Just at this time the Guardian cabled the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles that it was imperative that George Townshend leave the Church. He did resign, that same year. In doing so he faced not only much criticism from the Bishops, the clergy and members of his congregation but probably ridicule, too, from many. His wife, Nancy, was at first opposed to his resignation from the Church but when the Bishops asked him to refute his writings, she stood by his decision and followed him into the Bahá’í Faith.

Naturally, he lost his house and pension. He moved with his family from Ahascragh Parish in Galway to Dublin and there became a member of the first Spiritual Assembly of Dublin.

In The Old Churches and The New World Faith, written directly after his resignation from the Church of Ireland, Dr. Townshend addressed all Christian people in general, but more especially the Bishops and clergy of his former Church and pleaded with them to fairly investigate the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. He wrote:

“To them who have recognized Christ’s voice again in this age has been given in renewed freshness and beauty the vision of the Kingdom of God as Jesus and the Book of Revelation gave it—the same vision, but clearer now and on a larger scale and in more detail.”3

King George VI received a copy of his pamphlet. It was also sent to 10,000 men of influence in various professions throughout the British Isles. Much to Dr. Townshend’s disappointment he received only one response and that in the negative.

The Guardian felt that the clergy, many of whom received a copy, were not ready for the Cause and said not to bother with them. The question was asked of the Guardian (when the writer was on pilgrimage in January 1955), “Why do so few of the clergy, many of whom are certainly sincere ...?” But the Guardian stopped him and replied: “I have heard this question before. They do not come into the Faith because their understanding of Christianity is superficial.”

Appointed a Hand of the Cause[edit]

George Townshend was deeply spiritual and very humble. He could hardly believe it when he received a cable from the Guardian in December 1951 which conferred upon him the station of Hand of the Cause. Dr. Townshend was named in the first contingent of the Hands, one of the three for Europe.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in His Will and Testament, describes the work of a Hand of the Cause: “The obligations of the Hands of the Cause of God are to diffuse the Divine Fragrances, to edify the souls of men, to promote learning, to improve the character of all men and to be, at all times and under all conditions, sanctified and detached from earthly things. They must manifest the fear of God by their conduct, their manners, their deeds and their words.”4

Townshend’s Writings[edit]

“George Townshend was the best of the Bahá’í writers” said the Guardian to the writer when in Haifa on pilgrimage. In The Priceless Pearl, Rúḥíyyih Khánum wrote that for years Shoghi Effendi “sent his translations and manuscripts to George Townshend, whose command and knowledge of English he greatly admired. In one of his letters to Townshend, Shoghi Effendi wrote: “I am deeply grateful to you for the very valuable, detailed, and careful suggestions you have given me.”5

His first book The Altar on the Hearth,published in 1926, is composed mostly of prayers, meditations and poems. He stated: “The purpose of this book is to bear witness to the truth that the power of God is now abroad among men in its fullness and that happiness in the home (and elsewhere) is to be attained only through conscious communion with that power.”6 Although this book is now out of print many of its pieces are happily included in The Mission of Bahá’u’lláh.

His search for spiritual truth is very moving as in this prayer and the meditation that follows it:

O My Lord!

I have sought Thee all my life, yet I still wander in a chequered world of light and shadow. Oh! lift me at last into the pure splendor of Thy Truth beyond the reach of any darkness that I may behold Thee as Thou art, and live in Thy continual presence evermore.

The darkness changes and pales, but no light breaks. Error grows intolerable, but Truth still is hidden out of sight. I rest not, but I never reach my goal. Yet, do I not ask anything, but to journey onward and onward. My path is of Thy making, and Thou leadest me on the way. I ask no more, and I desire no more.

In “The Vision of God’s Triumph”, he described with much power his awakening, and concluded:

There shall be no more death nor oppression nor tears. God has ascended His Throne. He has taken possession of the hearts of men.

Therefore from the darkness with hymns of light I greet the Source of Light, and from the depths give answer to the heights.8

The inspiring contents of this book show a devoted churchman progressing from an acceptance of orthodox doctrines, first to a realization that a New Age of God has come, and finally to a realization that Bahá’u’lláh is its Lord.

In 1930, The Talbot Press published a short book of stimulating essays by Mr. Townshend, titled after one of them, The Genius of Ireland. The essay, “A Kingship in Genius: The English Poet Prophets,” concerns Tennyson, Browning, Shelley and Blake.

Mr. Townshend wrote of Blake, “More than a century ago a great Poet (himself of Irish stock) uplifted in England a strange new song of victory and triumph and foretold the approach of an age when hypocrisy and tyranny would be dethroned and when man would recognize at last the hidden truth about himself and the world in which he lives and would enjoy the rights of a law abiding Citizen of the Universe ... He deliberately bent all his powers to aid in that tremendous struggle which must precede the final victory of the powers of good on earth.”9 Mr. Townshend concluded, “These poets saw drawing near to a negligent and unbelieving world an Era of Justice and Freedom, of Unity and constructive Peace.”10

Greatly impressed with the noble genius of certain idealistic writers in the United States, he devoted most of his essay “The Language of the Commonwealth” to them. He wrote: “The work in prose or verse of Emerson, Whitman, Lanier, Whittier and Hawthorne runs through many moods, but if there be one noble trait which in each and all stands out more boldly, it is this idealistic frame of mind.”11

In his essays, “The Beauty of Ireland” and “Irish Humor,” although he makes plain his opinion that the cities of Ireland are not worthy of an earth so lovely and majestic and that the Irish have not learned once more to laugh together, he still describes with much love his country, its beauty, the enormous charm of its people, and their most delightful humor. He wrote of this last: “The real distinction of Irish humor is to be found less in its character than its superabundance. It is not found chiefly in any locality, but belongs to all the people in all sections.”12

He did not refer to Bahá’u’lláh in any of these essays.

[Page 11] Mr. Townshend included the name-essay, “The Genius of Ireland,” in a rich and fascinating collection of essays, prayers, meditations and poems called The Mission of Bahá’u’lláh that George Ronald published in 1952.

By this time Mr. Townshend had revised this essay and explained that ignorance of the coming of Bahá’u’lláh and consequent blindness to the reality of the New Age has been a cause of serious limitation in even the great Irish poets.

After careful reflection about the past spirituality of the Irish, he “became filled with hope that Ireland may not be slow to catch the vision of the New Day of the coming of the Kingdom of God, and that she may do for mankind now such service as she did long ago in the hour of its darkness and its need.”13

Many contributions of Dr. Townshend appeared in World Order Magazine published in New York, including in the November 1936 issue the paper he read at the World Fellowship of Faiths in London. After he had left the Church and come into the Bahá’í Community he saw fit to revise both his The Promise of All Ages and The Heart of the Gospel.

After a long life of exacting scholarship and writing to his credit, well over thirty years after he had recognized the Station of His Lord, George Townshend started to write what Shoghi Effendi has described as “his crowning achievement, Christ and Bahá’u’lláh.”

In the epilogue of his book he made this most moving appeal:

O Christian believers! for your own sakes and for the sake of the Churches, for the sake of all mankind, for the sake of the Kingdom, cast away your conflicting dogmas and interpretations which have caused such disunity and led us to the verge of wholesale self-destruction. Recognize the age of Truth. Recognize Christ in the glory and power of the Father and heart and soul, throw yourselves into his Cause.14

Simply written with deep conviction of passionate belief, this book is obviously of major importance. It has already helped to lead many people into the Bahá’í community. As increasing numbers of dissatisfied people leave the Church and many more even than today suffer from the unhappiness and worldly anxieties that agnosticism is sure to bring, certainly this book and all his other writings will find an enormous public.

His Last Years[edit]

Dr. Townshend liked Bahá’í fellowship, but owing to circumstances beyond his control he could not always get it. He used to work on Christ and Bahá’u’lláh early in the morning when his household was quiet. During the day he often did some of the housework. He used to go everywhere on his bicycle. When he was seventy-seven he fell from his bicycle. From that time on he had difficulty in using his hands to write.

The last few years of his life were filled with difficulties. He wrote much of Christ and Bahá’u’lláh in a nursing home. He had Parkinson’s disease and it grew steadily worse as he grew older. Toward the end of his life he could not speak. He had to whisper the last part of Christ and Bahá’u’lláh to his son, Bryan, and his daughter, Una. Naturally at this time he could not write.

David Hofman, a member of The Universal House of Justice since its election in 1963, said of George Townshend: “He did not ask for an easy, secure life. He prayed to God to make him suffer as long as that suffering brought him closer to God.”

The Guardian’s cablegram sent to The National Spiritual Assembly of The British Isles at the time of George Townshend’s passing, gives perfect evidence of what he had achieved:

27 MARCH, 1957.


DEEPLY MOURN PASSING DEARLY LOVED, MUCH ADMIRED, GREATLY GIFTED OUTSTANDING HAND CAUSE, GEORGE TOWNSHEND. HIS DEATH MORROW PUBLICATION, HIS CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT ROBS BRITISH FOLLOWERS BAHÁ’U’LLÁH THEIR MOST DISTINGUISHED COLLABORATOR AND FAITH ITSELF ONE OF ITS STOUTEST DEFENDERS. HIS STERLING QUALITIES, HIS ‎ SCHOLARSHIP‎, HIS CHALLENGING WRITINGS, HIS HIGH ECCLESIASTICAL POSITION UNRIVALED ANY BAHÁ’Í WESTERN WORLD, ENTITLE HIM RANK WITH THOMAS BREAKWELL, DR. ‎ ESSLEMONT‎, ONE OF THREE LUMINARIES SHEDDING BRILLIANT LUSTRE ANNALS IRISH, ENGLISH, SCOTTISH BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITIES. HIS FEARLESS CHAMPIONSHIP CAUSE HE LOVED SO DEARLY, SERVED SO VALIANTLY, CONSTITUTES SIGNIFICANT LANDMARK BRITISH BAHÁ’Í HISTORY. SO ENVIABLE POSITION CALLS FOR NATIONAL TRIBUTE TO HIS MEMORY BY ASSEMBLED DELEGATES VISIT ON FORTHCOMING BRITISH BAHÁ’Í CONVENTION. ASSURE RELATIVES DEEPEST LOVING SYMPATHY, GRIEVOUS LOSS. CONFIDENT HIS REWARD, INESTIMABLE ABHÁ KINGDOM.


The grave of Hand of the Cause George Townshend is in the cemetery of the Church of Ireland overlooking the charming village of Enniskerry, and is near the great house, Powerscourt. On the stone is written a quotation from Revelation XXI:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”

In the Abhá kingdom is not Townshend even more greatly empowered to help in the spiritualization of Ireland than he had been while on this earth? In future years one can visualize many people from all over the world coming to pray and meditate at this holy spot.

Notes:

  1. George Townshend: The Heart of the Gospel, Lindsey Drummond, Ltd. Chapter III, “Man’s Destiny and Man’s Effort” p. 38.
  2. George Townshend: The Mission of Bahá’u’lláh and Other Literary Essays, George Ronald, London, Revised, 1965. Preface, p. 5.
  3. George Townshend: The Old Churches and the New World-Faith, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the British Isles, London, p. 17.
  4. Shoghi Effendi: Bahá’í Administration, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Ill. 1968. Excerpts from Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Bahá. pp. 8-9.
  5. Rúḥíyyih Rabbani: The Priceless Pearl, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, London, p. 204.
  6. George Townshend: The Altar on the Hearth, Talbot Press, Ltd., Dublin and Cork, 1926, p. 9.
  7. Ibid. p. 125.
  8. Ibid. p. 131. Reprinted in Mission of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 123.
  9. George Townshend, The Genius of Ireland, Talbot Press, Ltd. Dublin and Cork. pp. 52-57.
  10. Ibid. p. 71.
  11. Ibid. p. 79.
  12. Ibid. p. 16.
  13. George Townshend, The Mission of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 120.
  14. George Townshend, Christ and Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald, London, p. 116.


(O. Z. Whitehead, author of the above article, has been a pioneer from the United States to Ireland since 1963 and received much of the information printed here from persons who had been associated with Dr. Townshend.)

[Page 12]

Hand of the Cause of God Inspires Teacher Training Session[edit]

Saturday and Sunday, January 20 and 21, coinciding with the ninetieth day since its dedication, the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute at Hemingway, South Carolina, was host to teacher training sessions devoted to the study of the Local Spiritual Assembly. This occasion was marked by the special bounty of the presence of Hand of the Cause of God William Sears and the Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh.

After opening prayers and an orientation period by Mr. Harold Jackson, Dean of the Institute, Peter and Jolie Haug eloquently presented to an eager and receptive group of students, the purpose and functions of the Local Spiritual Assembly.

After a break for lunch, Gerald and Gail Curwin continued the training session. The Curwins opened the period with a short slide program, later dividing the students into groups of nine for discussion on the formation and function of the Local Spiritual Assembly. Questions prepared by the Curwins expertly guided the direction of the discussions. The effort put into these well planned training sessions by all the leaders made it possible for the students to obtain a clear understanding of this vital institution.


Some of the audience attending the session on the Local Spiritual Assembly.


At the book counter, Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute.


Hand of the Cause of God William Sears at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute.


After a beautiful day, many people with great anticipation gathered that evening in the auditorium to meet with the Hand of the Cause William Sears. For many, this was the first opportunity to see and hear a Hand of the Cause of God. Mr. Sears is the first Hand of the Cause to visit the Louis G. Gregory Institute.

After being introduced by Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, Mr. Sears, assisted by Dr. Kazemzadeh, took us on a slide program tour of the Bahá’í Holy Places of Persia and Israel. These slides, depicting places so dear and precious to the believers, brought to mind the sacrifices and suffering of the Central Figures of the Faith and the devoted early followers.

This program was a source of inspiration serving to spur the believers present to greater service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. With thanksgiving and prayer the evening session came to a close.

On Sunday, January 21, after a morning session of further study on the Local Spiritual Assembly, a record crowd again assembled at 2:00 p.m. to hear William Sears. Mr. Sears most ably summarized through words, diagrams and quotations from the Writings the theme and presentations of the training sessions. He emphasized that love is the prime requisite for the successful functioning of the Local Spiritual Assembly. “Without love the institution will surely prove to be ineffective,” he said. Mr. Sears’ talk was given with delightful humor, and warmth. The many children present seemed to enjoy every minute.

“... the Manifested Light, Bahá’u’lláh, in this glorious period has revealed in the Holy Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls.” Many joined in songs of joy and thanksgiving.

It was gratifying to see volunteers come forth immediately when need for help was made known. Willing workers of all ages offered their services in any and all areas required for these sessions and for future sessions.

This successful effort again demonstrated the love and devotion among the friends, the dedication of the youth and the willingness of all to assist in making these sessions a continuing success.

[Page 13]

Passing of Pioneer Mrs. Marion Little[edit]

HAVE CABLED NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRANCE QUOTE ASCENSION ABHÁ KINGDOM MARION LITTLE STEADFAST DEVOTED SERVANT BAHÁ’U’LLÁH MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS TEACHING PUBLISHING PIONEERING UNITED STATES SOUTH AMERICA EUROPE DEPRIVES AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY ONE ITS BRIGHTEST ORNAMENTS EUROPE ONE MOST RADIANT PIONEERS. HER LOYALTY CHEERFULNESS COURAGE UPLIFTED SPIRITS FRIENDS ASSURES BOUNTEOUS REWARD. OFFERING PRAYERS SACRED THRESHOLD PROGRESS HER SOUL RECOMMEND GERMAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL SERVICE MOTHER TEMPLE EUROPE. END QUOTE.

March 12, 1973 —The Universal House of Justice


The foregoing cablegram from The Universal House of Justice announcing the passing in Paris, France, on March 10, of Mrs. Marion Little, United States pioneer in Europe since 1947, recounts briefly a half century of devoted service to the Faith of this beloved Bahá’í at home and abroad. Not only was Mrs. Little one of the first Bahá’ís to serve on the Bahá’í Publishing Committee when it was organized more than forty years ago, but she was also a member of the National Teaching Committee, and the Inter-American Teaching Committee which, for a number of years, conducted orientation classes with her close friend, Mrs. Loulie Mathews, at the former Temerity Ranch Bahá’í Summer School in Colorado for Bahá’ís planning to pioneer in Latin America.

Before going to Europe in 1947, Mrs. Little settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was a very active pioneer and teacher in the Southern States. She had hoped to pioneer in Latin America but when the call came from the Guardian for traveling teachers in Europe, she responded at once. She helped to form the first National Spiritual Assembly in Italy. Her ability to speak French fluently made her a most valuable pioneer and teacher in Switzerland and France where in later years she served as a member of each of these National Spiritual Assemblies.

CENTRAL AFRICAN YOUTH CONFERENCE[edit]

Over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of December a wonderful gathering of Bahá’í youth took place, the first Regional Youth Conference in Central Africa. The participants came to Yaoundé Cameroon from all parts of East and West Cameroon. The Conference was organized by the National Youth Committee of Cameroon, with the help of Yaoundé pioneers, Mr. and Mrs. Weck (recently arrived from France) and Mr. and Mrs. Yeganeh.

Those participants who came from Chad rode buses for three full days over 1,000 miles, while those who came from the Central African Republic traveled four days through 800 miles of African bush in the car of one of the believers. One of the heroic groups suffered several car accidents while the other battled sickness.

A joyous Unity Feast in the home of the Yeganeh’s opened the Conference on Friday evening. For the weary and tested travelers who had come so many hundreds of miles it was wonderful to sit down together for prayers of thanksgiving and join in the singing of many Bahá’í songs. Singing continued throughout the Conference, and a special treat was the première of a number of original songs by some of the Bahá’ís of the Yaoundé area.

Over fifty youth attended. The spirit was greatly enhanced by the participation of young traveling teachers from the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Iran, Canada and the United States who had come on a special project for six months to help fulfill the remaining goals in Chad and Cameroon before the end of the Nine Year Plan.

The Conference, conducted in both French and English, had two main goals: the first, to help Cameroon in her teaching efforts to win the Nine Year Plan goals; the second, to deepen the Bahá’í youth and give them an opportunity to exchange views and build the feeling of international Bahá’í consciousness. In this part of the world where travel is so expensive and difficult, it was the first time that many of the Bahá’í youth had met their Bahá’í brothers and sisters of neighboring African nations.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Yaoundé granted permission for the use of the Grand Amphitheatre of the Law School for all the Conference sessions. A large banner was placed at the entrance, “BAHÁ’Í YOUTH CONFERENCE—ALL ARE WELCOME” which attracted university students during the sessions.

Classes covered such subjects as the Role of Youth in the Faith, the Covenant, Bahá’í Community Life, the Bahá’í University Club, the Response of Youth to the Faith, plus panel reports of the progress of the goals and activities in each of the three countries.

Three Auxiliary Board members, Mr. Jacob Mbeng of Cameroon, Mr. Jawad Mughrabi of the Central African Republic and Mr. Fred Ramirez of the Philippines, were present throughout the Conference and offered helpful advice through their classes and consultation with individuals.

Several very successful proclamation efforts were made during the Conference. On Saturday afternoon all participants divided into teaching teams to go out and invite people to the public meeting of that evening. Al Lincoln’s talk entitled “The Role of Bahá’í Youth in the World Today” attracted over 100 people, many of them university students, ten of whom decided to join the ranks of Bahá’u’lláh that evening.

All meals were eaten in a small African restaurant a walk of a few minutes from the campus. Our presence there attracted the curiosity of a number of people who wanted more information about the Faith. The young Cameroonian woman who runs the restaurant was among the ten who became Bahá’ís during the public conference. This was particularly exciting as we are all making an effort to reach more women in our teaching work.

Finally two successful radio interviews were held—one featuring five Bahá’ís from five different countries and another during which Joany Lincoln was interviewed singing songs about the Bahá’í Faith.

(Continued on page 24)

[Page 14]

“O Lord, Open Thou the Door”[edit]

Youth Teaching Project in Punta Arenas, Chile[edit]

“O Lord, open Thou the door, provide the means, prepare the way, and make safe the path, that we may be guided to those souls whose hearts Thou hast prepared for Thy Cause, and that they may be guided unto us.”—‘Abdu’l-Bahá


On fire with the love of God and with this prayer in our hearts, we eleven projecteers (ten youth and one National Spiritual Assembly representative) set out for Punta Arenas, Chile, on the straights of Magellan, southernmost outpost of the Faith in the world, with one thought in mind: teach! teach! teach! This was the first time that such a teaching project had been organized in Chile, and it was of special importance because the local institution was in jeopardy. Recognizing the need for immediate action on a great scale, the National Spiritual Assembly of Chile, with support from The Universal House of Justice, proposed this project which was then worked out by the National Teaching Committee. We had two weeks to rally our energies.

Arriving on January 27, we were warmly received by the local Bahá’ís and settled ourselves in pensions and hotels. The next day we met with the Spiritual Assembly of Punta Arenas and worked out general objectives and a format for the project.

Each morning thereafter we projecteers met for prayers and consultation to discuss the work and assign people to certain tasks. We had decided that the most efficient way to organize our efforts was to appoint commissions, giving responsibility to everyone. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent in the plaza, the streets and outlying areas of the city, in direct teaching, and inviting people to the evening public meetings as well as special events, also revisiting new believers and seekers. Public meetings were held every evening at the centrally located Casa de Cultura (House of Culture) across the plaza.

Contacting The Authorities[edit]

Remembering the three-fold plan for Proclamation as outlined by The Universal House of Justice: to reach the


Presenting Bahá’í literature to the Mayor of Punta Arenas, with a special gift of books for the Municipal Library. Left to right, pioneer Reed Chandler, Miss Amelia Diaz of the National Youth Committee; Sr. Alvaro Palacios, Chairman National Teaching Committee; Sr. José E. Agüero Vera, Mayor of Punta Arenas. At right, Sr. Gerardo Montero, Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Punta Arenas.


By invitation, a special teaching program was carried out for the police force in Punta Arenas.


authorities, the masses, and follow-up, a major project was to contact the Intendente (Governmental representative for the Province), Alcalde (Mayor), and the Carabineros (Police), and present them with official letters of greetings from the National Spiritual Assembly and a small packet of books. Probably our most significant teaching effort among the authorities was with the police. After meeting with the Commandant, he invited us to give a program for the entire force! The commission for this project designed a program of slides accompanied by music, as well as a short presentation by Mr. Alvaro Palacio, a former policeman himself. The response was very favorable and, during the informal part of the program, many asked questions and requested literature.

The visit with the Alcalde was highly significant as he warmly received the commission and the gifts of books for the public library as well as his own copy of Bahá’u’lláh y La Nueva Era. He gave us a signed map of the city and gifts for each member of the commission. The city map greatly aided us in our mass teaching plans.

Special invitations were printed for over twenty officials holding positions of authority in Punta Arenas for the special program at the Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theater). These were all hand delivered and private interviews were held.

Informing The Public[edit]

The three radio stations amply covered our project with over one hour and a half of radio time, including interviews and the songs of “Rainbow”. An announcer at one of the radio stations was so excited and interested in the Faith that she invited us back for another program a couple of days later! This was especially significant as at this time, Chile was preparing for its political elections and little radio time was allocated for other uses. One of the stations, Presidente Ibañez, where we had taped and aired a thirty-five minute program, was broadcast to Argentina as well as Chile and was probably our most complete presentation of the Faith.

[Page 15] Both of the local newspapers, The Prensa Austral and El Magallanes, responded favorably to the visit of our “Embajada Bahá’í” (Bahá’í embassy), as the editor of the Magallanes put it, with over sixty-two column inches of four well-written articles as well as two different photos. The Cine Cervantes (Cervantes Theater) also entered photos and an ad for the spot presentation made by “Rainbow” (our musical group) during an intermission. This was a totally unexpected proclamation to over 300 people! The National Spiritual Assembly, before our arrival, had placed a daily paid ad in the newspaper for two weeks to put the name of the Blessed Beauty into the consciousness of the people.

Reaching The People[edit]

Our first experience in direct teaching was in Rio Seco, where personal contact was made. We were warmly received by the country people. We sang and taught at the local meeting house and were served hot “empanadas” (Chilean meat pies).

In our future visits to other parts of the city, we found we could cover more ground if we split up into smaller groups and travel to different areas to spread the healing word. Many new believers were found as a result of this effort and the spirit was building. During the second week of direct teaching, we visited a community called Río de los Ciervos, (River of the Fawns), where our hearts were touched by the simplicity and warm heartedness of the people. Immediately, two souls accepted the Message and we were invited to return and meet the rest of the family, nine in all! We returned to bring deepening materials and books and the rest of the family then embraced the Faith! No words could express our joy and the uplift of our hearts. We were just beginning to feel a drop in our energy level, the result of low attendance at our public meetings. This experience in Río de los Ciervos, which we later renamed “Río de los Siervos” (River of the Servants) recharged our spiritual batteries for still greater efforts and victories.

Singing and teaching in the Plaza brought many souls to the Faith, mostly youth. One afternoon “Rainbow” attracted a group of youth from the Chilean Air Force. After an hour of singing/teaching in the rain, five of them embraced the Faith, followed by three onlookers. Our poor Spanish was not adequate for their questions which were fast and direct, but our Chilean brothers and sisters came to the rescue.


Group of new believers from the Chilean Air Force in the Plaza de Armas Muñoz Gamero, Punta Arenas, with pioneer Reed Chandler at lower right.


New believers in Río de los Ciervos, close to Punta Arenas, Chile. In front row, left to right, Sr. Gerardo Montero, Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Punta Arenas, Sr. Alvaro Palacios, Chairman of National Teaching Committee and representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of Chile, and pioneer Robert Siegel with daughter Lua.


The Casa de Cultura (House of Culture) was our nightly meeting place where people came, responding to the 1500 invitations circulated over the two week period. Programs consisted of slide shows, panels, talks and much spiritual communication through song. The majority of the new believers enrolled at these meetings which became the center of activity and place for information.

The personnel in our pension and hotel could not help but wonder what all these youth were doing, wearing buttons, and smiles, carrying bags of books and pamphlets, and musical instruments! As a result, four souls at the pension accepted the Message with many others very close. One of the highlights was when “Rainbow” sang for the guests in the dining room of the Hotel Savoy and afterward entered into a conversation that lasted until 1:00 a.m. (Dinner is at 9:00 p.m. in Chile).

As a culminating event, we were able to secure the “Teatro Municipal” (Municipal Theater) for a large scale program featuring slides of Bahá’ís around the world, talks on progressive revelation, and “Rainbow” who by then were well known around the city. Over fifty souls were attracted to hear the Message and nine joined the army of Bahá! The program broke up after the formal presentation and everyone was invited to become Bahá’ís. Following this, “Rainbow” returned for forty-five minutes of informal song. By the end of the evening everyone was uplifted in spirit and eager to keep on going through the night. This was the first time that a religious group was allowed to use this very old theater.

Deepening The Believers[edit]

Visiting new believers, bringing books and deepening materials, was an important part of the project. It was through these repetitive visits that our hearts and those of the new believers were cemented together in our love of the Blessed Beauty. Recognizing the importance of consolidation, a designated commission planned a mini-school for the closing weekend of the project. Such topics as the Covenant, Administration, and Bahá’í unity were stressed as well as answering specific questions from Bahá’u’lláh’s new followers.

Unity[edit]

There are so many personal stories to relate, so many individual miracles that occurred, that it would be impossible to tell about them all. Suffice it to say that

[Page 16] Group of Chilean youth and American pioneers who worked together on the Punta Arenas teaching plan, at the office of El Magallanes newspaper. Third from right, back row, Miss Laurel Schaeffer, pioneer in Punta Arenas, Chile.


they combined to give the group, collectively, a sense of unity of purpose and the realization of what it means to move and teach the Cause of God. Everyone participated and the experience and talents of each were put to use. The variety of teaching activities provided an avenue for each person to participate in the way most comfortable for them and at the same time introduced some new ways.

Just as we were about to leave on February 12 and saying our last good-byes at the airport, we were receiving the aid of a resident of the pension where some of us stayed and where pioneer Laurel Schaeffer resides. This resident works at the airport and helped us through customs. At the last moment, he quietly asked to be a Bahá’í and the airport rocked with excitement as another soul embraced the Cause of God!

Before our departure, Alexander Reid, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Chile, had said that this project was not only important for Punta Arenas, to help strengthen their Assembly, but also would have an effect everywhere in the country. Little did he know that during these two weeks, eleven of the thirty-four new believers would be from other parts of the country, and they, along with the projecteers, would be taking great enthusiasm from the spiritual victories to their respective localities!

Yes, the doors were opened and the way provided. After not having a new believer in four years, Punta Arenas now has twenty-three young plants to help build the Garden of God.

(Continued from page 3)

picture of Mrs. McComb as a girl, with the Master.

An exciting summary of the achievements of the two Seven Year Plans, the Crusade, and the current Nine-Year Plan, was presented by Mr. Glenford Mitchell. “We may be sure that the future will bring us many opportunities to promote the interests of the Faith,” he commented, “and the youth of today are, hopefully, preparing themselves to make the greatest contribution possible towards these significant goals.”

The conference concluded Sunday morning with two slide programs—one, an historic collection of slides of the early believers, and the building of the House of Worship, narrated by Mr. Wyatt Cooper, and the other, slides of the Holy Land, shown by Robert McComb, of Glenwood Landing, New York. Mrs. Donna Kime of Wilmette, and Miss Mary Lynn Knipfel of Milwaukee were guest soloists at the Conference.

[Page 17]

BAHAMA ISLAND TEACHING TRIPS[edit]

The Local Spiritual Assembly of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is sponsoring teaching trips to the Bahama Islands. Arrangements have been made at minimum cost for an eight-place twin engine plane to make a trip a couple of times a month so that a Bahá’í teaching team can help the Bahamas win their goals for the Nine Year Plan in these last important remaining months.

The first trip began on the weekend of January 26. Jeanne and Maylo Murday, Pat Meier, Roy Easton, Jene Bellows, Dave Hauck and Bob and Jeremy Phillips took flight on Friday afternoon from the Fort Lauderdale Airport and were lovingly greeted half an hour later in Freeport by pioneer couple, Sandy and Charles Bullock and son Poova.

The weekend’s activities began with a delicious curry dinner prepared by one of the new Jamaican believers at the Bahá’í Center. Thus fortified, all departed for a meeting with the Bahá’ís of Williamstown, a short distance from the Bahá’í Center. This little fishing village has many beautiful new Bahá’ís. The group met many of them that night, said prayers together, sang songs, showed slides and gave the message of Bahá’u’lláh to two young men who arrived in the middle of the meeting.

The next day began with dawn prayers and songs. We literally sang from dawn until dark all weekend. After breakfast we consulted on the day’s activities, prayed together, formed the teams and the teaching began. There are many Haitians on the Island and we were fortunate to have a French speaking Bahá’í or two on each team. All the people we met were told about Bahá’u’lláh and the great new Revelation for our Day. All were invited to the Bahá’í Center for an evening of music, to hear more about the Faith and to see “It’s Just the Beginning” and “Give Me that New Time Religion”. Three of the people we met that morning became Bahá’ís.

In the afternoon Jeanne, Sandy and Charles, the “New Era Trio” of a few summers ago, sang at the shopping center while the rest of us passed out Bahá’í fliers inviting the people attracted by their music to an evening meeting. It was a full day of proclamation and was joyfully capped off by an exciting gathering at the Center that night. Many, many people came. Prayers, music and laughter rang out and the echoes of love and unity actually bounced off the walls!

The dawn of the next day brought the weary but happy group together to begin another day of teaching, this time to an area known as Hunters-Pinters. This village has a Local Spiritual Assembly. We formed teams to contact the many Bahá’ís living there to invite them to an institute on the Local Spiritual Assembly. The community of believers gathered and Mr. Russel Grant, the chairman of the Assembly, conducted the meeting and invited the visiting Bahá’ís to speak. Bob Phillips gave the institute which was again followed by songs and prayers. This joyous meeting was so large that it had to be held in Mr. Grant’s front yard and attracted many curious onlookers. As a result of this day’s teaching, four more people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.

Sandy and Jene arrived late at the institute. Just as they were leaving their teaching area a young man stopped them with “My sister wants to be a Bahá’í ... what does she do?” They were invited into her home with a babble of French and Creole, a language similar to French. After about one-half hour of answering questions, several prayers, and reassurance that the Faith is not political she said that she believed Bahá’u’lláh was the Promised One and that the Bahá’í Faith came from God. She became the seventh declaration of the weekend. We hardly needed an airplane to fly us home, we were all flying so high already from our two days of teaching experiences.

The second trip to Nassau was equally successful. Bob and Karin Leonard and their daughters, Cindy and Christine, hosted the group at their home. Some of the Bahamian team members had their first experience in direct teaching, and a new spirit was breathed into the colony. An eighty-five year old lady declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh, and thanked the Bahá’ís for bringing her the gift from God for which she had been waiting.

More trips are scheduled for Nassau and Grand Bahama Island right up until Riḍván. Ron Hauck of the Fort Lauderdale community has volunteered the services of a pilot and one of his charter planes for each trip, no small contribution to the teaching campaign.

More teachers are needed to contribute their weekends to this effort, and to share in the unlimited bounties of travel teaching for Bahá’u’lláh. The unity and dedication exhibited on these, the first two trips scheduled, continued and carried forward into the following trips, will insure the winning of the goals in the Bahama Islands.

—Jeremy Phillips and Jene Bellows


Some of the team with new believers in the Bahamas. The woman in the center is a new French-speaking believer—the seventh declarant of the weekend.


[Page 18]

THE GREAT SAFARI[edit]

of Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum[edit]

By Violette Nakhjavání

Part sixteen


In the afternoon of June 29, 1972, Amatu’l-Bahá in her “Rabbani African Safari” (name of her Land Rover), left Botswana and entered the Republic of South Africa. The border city of Mafeking, the administrative capital of Bechuanaland in the early years of the Ten Year Crusade, brought the thought of dearly loved Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts to our hearts. It was there that he earned the title “Knight of Bahá’u’lláh” from the pen of our beloved Guardian for opening the country to the Faith. Some of the early devoted believers throughout that region are the spiritual children of the Robarts. Indeed, the friends even showed us the Robarts home, recalling with deep affection the days they served there.

Counsellor Shidan Fat’he-Aazam, who so lovingly had accompanied Amatu’l-Bahá on her tour of Botswana, now entrusted her to his able and distinguished fellow Counsellor Mrs. Bahíyyih Ford, a childhood friend of Rúḥíyyih Khánum. This reunion was a cause of great joy to both of them. The Chairman and the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of South Africa had also come from Johannesburg especially to welcome Amatu’l-Bahá to their land.

On a one day stop in Mafeking, Rúḥíyyih Khánum was able to spend some time with a few distinguished believers of that area. Although unable to go into the African location because permission for foreigners must be obtained now from Pretoria, she met with some of the


Amatu’l-Bahá with Mr. Amien Gallow, the donor of the land for the Bahá’í Center, standing by the foundation stone placed by Rúḥíyyih Khánum. Maitland, Cape Town, July 13, 1972.


friends at the roadside and at their suggestion recorded a message to the rest of the Bahá’ís to be heard that night.

The first real meeting, and one of the happiest of our entire trip took place near Rustamburg, some eighty-five miles from Johannesburg where a nice large Teaching Institute has been built and where over eighty believers had gathered to receive their beloved guest, Amatu’l-Bahá, as well as the Counselor, an Auxiliary Board member, and most of the National Spiritual Assembly members. The friends who had formed two lines approaching the building, sang a song of welcome for her, strewing her path with flower petals. This community is one of the first African Bahá’í communities and has many devoted families of Bahá’ís bringing up a second generation of whom they are justly proud.

At this meeting a Bahá’í youth asked an interesting question: “What color was Bahá’u’lláh? Was He black or white?” Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s reply was beautiful. She said: “You must first understand the difference between the soul of a Manifestation of God and the soul of man. The soul of man comes into existence at the moment of his conception. It is the nature of man to have a soul, as it is the nature of water to be wet and the nature of fire to be hot. In other words the soul of man has a beginning, but has no end. The soul of the Manifestation of God, however, is pre-existent. This means that His soul existed with God before His body was conceived. It entered (was connected with) that body and at the end of the physical life it returned to God. The soul of the Manifestation of God is like the sun, it is universal; it is not bound by the limitations of man. The sun shines upon all, it does not belong to the East or the West, to Africa or Asia, it belongs to whoever and wherever it shines upon. The Manifestation of God is not the product of His environment, He is above all. Bahá’u’lláh was neither a European nor an African, He was from the East and like the prophets of God, appeared in the East from whence His light shone upon the West, upon Africa, upon all the world.”

In the Bahá’í Center in Johannesburg Amatu’l-Bahá also met with some of the Bahá’ís of the Soweto community. This is one of the African locations near the city which is divided into municipal limits where several Local Spiritual Assemblies have been formed. In this meeting two of the African Auxiliary Board members were present. As circumstances and long distances oblige people to go home early, all were grateful for the opportunity for even a short visit with Amatu’l-Bahá.

One of the friends asked Rúḥíyyih Khánum: “How can a man under pressure and subject to so many injustices, pray to God?” She replied: “That is a very strange question. Prayers are the inner communion of the soul of man with his Creator, a private and individual relationship, and no one can prevent it. The Manifestations of God are themselves the greatest proof of this. Their lives are the essence of suffering. They are heaped with injustice from all sides, yet They were in constant communion with God, and were able to establish this relation between God and man.”

She spoke emphatically on the explicit injunction of Bahá’u’lláh Himself that Bahá’ís must obey their government, take no part in any form of riot, or public

[Page 19] disorder, as anarchy, in the eyes of the Bahá’ís, is even worse than war.

In the township of Eersterus, the colored location near the capital city of Pretoria, Rúḥíyyih Khánum met with a very devoted and lively community of believers. We had a most enjoyable evening with these friends who offered a delicious meal to all of us. The Bahá’í children entertained their beloved guest with songs and recitation of the Words of Bahá’u’lláh. A deep spirit of love and oneness pervaded this meeting which was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Johannesburg. This was the meeting with the nonresident Bahá’ís inside the city. The following night Rúḥíyyih Khánum met with the Bahá’ís of Johannesburg in the national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.

In South West Africa[edit]

On July 7, we flew to the capital city of Windhoek in South West Africa, spent a night there and the next day flew in a small chartered plane to Luderitz to visit for almost a week with the devoted family of Martin Aiff. Mr. and Mrs. Aiff came to the Holy Land as pilgrims in the days of the beloved Guardian before they pioneered to Africa. Amatu’l-Bahá was most anxious to see them again. They have been in Africa for over thirteen years.

We were able to spend some time with both the American family living there as well as with some of the very devoted local friends, one of whom said to Rúḥíyyih Khánum: “In my tribe there is a custom when a young man reaches the age of maturity and it is time for him to leave his father’s home and build a home for himself, his father gives him a handful of grain with which to start his life. This is a cause of blessing throughout his life. Now your loving kindness to me has this same value in my spiritual life.”

Again we flew by chartered plane over the desert to make our connection with the passenger service for Cape Town where Amatu’l-Bahá was met by some of the pioneers. During our five day stay we visited many friends in different places. In Maitland, a colored residential area, she met with a large group of devoted and lively believers.

The next day a gala spirit prevailed for it was the occasion for Rúḥíyyih Khánum to lay the foundation stone for the erection of their Bahá’í Center. The ladies served delicious refreshments. The land was donated by a devoted believer who had suffered much opposition from his Muslim relations and neighbors, who, at the passing of his wife, went so far as to carry off her body and bury it themselves. Amatu’l-Bahá, with her exquisite taste and sensitive heart, had brought a beautiful piece of rose quartz especially for the corner stone of this new Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds which will fulfill one of the goals of the Nine Year Plan. The hearts of all were uplifted in prayer and thanksgiving for the unending bounties of Bahá’u’lláh which are continuously showered upon His chosen ones.

In Stellenbosch, another colored community, we met with a group of devoted believers in the home of one of the Bahá’í families. An outstanding aspect of this city was that entire families accepted the Cause as a unit, and as a result there are active men, women and youth Bahá’ís!

In the city of Bredasdorp we were able to meet in the home of a new but most devoted Bahá’í, who, with her daughters, form the hub of the community there. Again, this community is classified as “colored”; we found them everywhere a warm, intelligent and gifted group of people, receptive to the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and very staunch and loyal once they had accepted it. These believers are not only eager to know the laws of Bahá’u’lláh, but to obey them. One main concern is how to get rid of the “Toddy system” introduced generations


Rúḥíyyih Khánum on the horse the friends chose for her to ride, saying its colors “went with her costume”; the hut is the one slept in at Thaba-Li-Mpe, Lesotho.


Amatu’l-Bahá and Mr. Mohapi, the first Bahá’í of Lesotho, standing before the hut where Knights of Bahá’u’lláh Mr. and Mrs. Fred Laws lived on his property. It was through the Laws that Mr. Mohapi accepted the Faith.


Amatu’l-Bahá with the Bahá’ís on the farm in the Cape Coast, South Africa on July 15, 1972


[Page 20] ago in Africa. This system means that employees, whether on a farm or in the factory, are paid partly in a ration of cheap wine or spirits. As a result, from very early childhood, people become addicted to drinking and often before the age of maturity many are alcoholics.

In the small town of Hawston, 30 kilometers from the southernmost tip of Africa, we met with a small but devoted group of believers. Again, a woman and her daughter are the strong motive power for the activities there. The young daughter conducts a Bahá’í children’s class weekly which attracts many non-Bahá’í children, and through them the parents are reached.

On a private estate owned by whites, the Bahá’í employees have received permission to hold their meetings; it was there they received Amatu’l-Bahá with much warmth and joy. The example of the personal character of this colored Bahá’í in whose home we met, has undoubtedly been the cause of not only winning the approval of his European employer but also of attracting many African friends. Before accepting the Faith he was nicknamed “Bottle Martin” as he drank continuously. When he became a Bahá’í he emptied his bottle in front of his house and has never touched it since! No wonder the Teachings exhort us: “Let deeds not words be your adornment.”

In these meetings Amatu’l-Bahá talked particularly on the universality of the Faith, telling the friends about other Bahá’ís throughout the world, as one feels here a sense of isolation more than at other places. Rúḥíyyih Khánum was asked to tell about the Bahá’ís in other parts of Africa and other parts of the world. In encouraging and heartwarming words she enabled these friends to feel that we are all members of one large, tightly knit and loving family of Bahá’u’lláh.

Just before we left Cape Town for Johannesburg we heard of a sad car accident involving a lovely Bahá’í girl, daughter of an English pioneer family, who was seriously hurt. The united, loving response of the entire community of the city, among all ethnic groups to this calamity was beautiful to behold. After a week of unconsciousness, a broken skull, a deep concussion of the brain, she made a seemingly miraculous recovery. Undoubtedly this was due to prayer—the prayers of The Universal House of Justice and of the community. Individually and collectively, the believers in their homes prayed round the clock until the danger was averted. What great and powerful force is the unity and prayers in this Cause of God! If only we hold onto these in every move in our lives we shall witness miracles upon miracles which will not only strengthen our faith but will undoubtedly draw that multitude of receptive souls who eagerly seek such manifestations of the power of God.

From July 19 to August 4, Amatu’l-Bahá visited the Bahá’ís of Lesotho. The two Counsellors, Shidan Fat’he-Aazam and Bahíyyih Ford accompanied her on most of this tour. A press conference was held which resulted in a good article about the Faith. Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Mr. Fat’he-Aazam were received by the Minister of State and this official interview was reported over the national radio.

Interviews with the King of Lesotho[edit]

On the afternoon of July 27, His Majesty King Motlotlehi Moshoeshoe II received Amatu’l-Bahá in an audience at which tea was served. His Majesty is a highly educated young man brought up mostly in England, much loved by the people of Lesotho. Rúḥíyyih Khánum told His Majesty about our trip, touching briefly on the Faith. She spoke about her strong belief in the spiritual destiny of Africa and her hopes for the future services its people would render humanity. The King became


Rúḥíyyih Khánum with Bahá’ís who were able to attend the all-day meeting near Durham, South Africa


[Page 21] A meeting with Bahá’ís of Rustamburg, South Africa in front of the Teaching Institute on July 2, 1972


very interested and asked her if the Bahá’í Faith was progressing in his country or whether we knew there were still many people here who believed in their ancestral religion. Rúḥíyyih Khánum replied, “Yes, the Faith is spreading somewhat in Lesotho.” Then she continued: “I was born and brought up in a Christian environment, although my parents were Bahá’ís and I have always been a Bahá’í; but my background and environment were all Christian. Then after my marriage I lived in the Muslim environment of Palestine. Since the Jewish State of Israel was formed I have lived in close contact with the Jewish religion. I have come to the conclusion that the followers of these three great religions are among the most prejudiced and intolerant people in the world. Later on, coming in contact with the Buddhists I realized they are much more tolerant than the Christians, Jews or the Muslims. The Hindus are extremely tolerant. But of all the people of the world I have come to the conclusion that the so-called pagans are the most tolerant and lack any real religious prejudice and that is why I enjoy teaching them more than any others.”

She went on to say that after three years of traveling in Africa “I have become convinced that the African is fundamentally without prejudice; his only prejudice is tribal because that is his immediate historical background. He has no racial or religious prejudice. Often in Africa I have seen among the not too highly educated people, members of two quite different religions such as Catholics and Muslims married and living in harmony.”

His Majesty obviously found these ideas new and listened with wrapt interest. Amatu’l-Bahá had brought him a beautiful gift of a Persian hand painted dish and saucer, wrapped in the Persian manner in a beautiful silk scarf. The King, who had been a guest of the Sháh of Persia at the Persepolis celebrations, opened this gift and for a moment held his breath in sheer pleasure at the sight. Shyly he asked “Do you think you could wrap this up again in the same way so that when my wife comes back from the country she may have the same pleasure I had in opening this beautiful gift?” So Rúḥíyyih Khánum wrapped this gift in her exquisite way.

During their conversation she told him that she loved his country and praised the Lesotho huts, saying she was so impressed by the houses that she would like to come and live in Lesotho, build herself one or two typical Lesotho mud huts, buy a horse to ride and eat the delicious mutton and cornmeal of the country every day. The King was very surprised at this. It was evident that it had never occurred to him that the native houses were beautiful or desirable in any way! He assured her she would be most welcome. He made no move to end the interview and seemed to be enjoying the conversation very much. But after more than an hour, Amatu’l-Bahá made her excuses and we left, accompanied by His Majesty with great courtesy to the front door.

(To be continued)

Continued Report of an Indian Pioneer in Tanzania[edit]

Mr. A. K. Forudi, early in January 1973 continued his pioneering activities in Northern Tanzania. (See story in BAHÁ’Í NEWS, March 1973, page 11.) Accompanied by Mr. Aroon Siosi, they started from Mwanza, on the southern shore of the wide Lake Victoria and crossed that large body of water by ferry, then by bus, continued westward until they reached Kigoma, a beautiful area on the edge of Lake Tanganyika, which borders on Zambia, Zaire and Burundi. At Kusuba village they met many Bahá’ís who were refugees. Forty of them rushed out to greet the two travelers. Bahá’í songs rang out and echoed from the surrounding mountains. Here they stayed for two weeks, held deepening classes and attended committee meetings.

Then the two started to Zash by boat; a terrifying experience as the boat was planned to accommodate only forty persons while about a hundred came aboard, quarreling and jostling each other. The odor was nauseating, the water churning, and this continued for nine hours. Mr. Forudi was chanting “The Remover of Difficulties” and thought of a terrible sea voyage made by the Báb. When they finally landed at night, they had to walk three miles to reach the hut of a Bahá’í friend for lodging.

In the morning the Bahá’ís of the village had gathered and were singing songs of welcome. After speaking with them for some time the two travelers started again for Zash, crossing a river and climbing a mountain. Coming

[Page 22] near to that village they heard shouting “Alláh-u-Abhá” from all sides. About a hundred Bahá’ís had gathered to meet them, and started embracing them and shaking hands, some singing, some dancing. It was such a joyous occasion that Mr. Forudi, recalling a visit to the “Village of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”, Kunjangun, in Burma, suggested that this be called “The village of the beloved Guardian”.

The next day when the time came to go farther, the villagers accompanied them for several miles, singing. This aroused the interest of surrounding villagers who came to see what was going on and learned of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

On reaching Kigoongu a large meeting was called, attended by more than a hundred persons who asked many interesting questions. Afterward a Muslim priest came with his followers to discuss the Faith. His intention, it became evident, was not to investigate the truth but to misguide his followers.

The next day, Mr. Siosi and Mr. Forudi returned to Kigoma in the same boat in which they came, but this time the water was calmer and the voyage was not so difficult. They planned a series of deepening classes and sent invitations to persons who could read and write. These were attended by thirty-two people and sessions consisted of lessons on the history of the Faith, especially the stories of the martyrs, proofs of the Faith, and Bahá’í administration. Among the refugee women Mr. Foruti noticed that before they began they would kiss the prayer book then chant most melodiously. But he noticed the prayer book was held upside down, showing the prayers were memorized. The singing at these sessions reminded them of the time when Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned in the Síyáh-Chál and the friends sang in such a manner as to melt the heart of the powerful King who asked where it was coming from and was informed by the prison guards that it was the recitation of the Bábis in jail.

They had been joined by Auxiliary Board member Mr. Festus who assisted in all the classes and continued the work outlined by the National Spiritual Assembly until Mr. Forudi had to leave because his permit to stay in Kigoma had expired.

On the return trip travel was first by boat then by train to Tahuru where he was to take a bus for Shiniyangu. But because the train was late, he missed the bus, and later learned it had a serious accident, from which, providentially, he was spared. After waiting almost all night for another bus, Mr. Forudi was surprised to hear his name called—two Bahá’ís he did not know were anywhere near found him, Mr. Shapur Yananegi and Mr. John Mosher. They decided to spend several days together teaching nearby and were able to deepen more of the believers.

A Local Spiritual Assembly was formed at Mtibi and some proclamation work done in Taboru. They went to the Taboru refugee camp and were allowed to stay three days. On the second day while teaching, they were surprised by a man who announced himself as a Bahá’í, and was accompanied by eight other Bahá’ís, all from Burundi or Zaire. They did not know of Bahá’ís at the refugee camp, so the reunion was touching, as if the lost sheep had been found. The Assistant Commander was very helpful and the refugees were safe under the protection of this commander and the Government of Tanzania. They were able to form another Local Assembly before Mr. Forudi’s departure.

“Blessed is the spot ... and the cave ... where mention of God hath been made and His praise glorified.” Alejandro Flores of Chuqui Chukui, Bolivia, standing in front of his cave home, has declared love for Bahá’u’lláh and entered the Faith.


National Bahá’í Youth Conference held in Orure, Bolivia, December 2-4,1972.


[Page 23]

IN BIAFRA, SERVING MANKIND[edit]

Two devoted Bahá’ís, Dr. and Mrs. Farzin Davachi, after twenty-two months of combined teaching the Bahá’í Faith and serving mankind in Biafra, Nigeria, have now returned home and are located in New Providence, New Jersey.

When the Biafran conflict broke out and the urgent call came for assistance, the Davachis responded immediately. Dr. Davachi then was Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Pediatric Cardiology at the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Nancy, his wife, formerly Nancy Ozias of Short Hills, was a medical social worker, also at Meharry.

On arrival, they, with the nineteen others on their team, were faced with staggering problems; the devastated hospital required reconstruction, new equipment and staffing; malnourished children were suffering from a variety of infections and nutritional problems. The pediatric ward was overcrowded, not only with patients but their mothers, brothers and sisters, who all expected to stay for the length of the stay of the patient! Dr. Davachi and his staff were on call at all hours, every day.

During a national cholera epidemic in 1971 the team rehabilitated a nearby building for treating infectious diseases. They also participated in training Nigerians (for replacing their jobs) and in establishing a school of nursing for the state.

Nancy Davachi helped to set up a library for the Government Secondary School and was Secretary of the National Teaching Committee of the Bahá’ís in Nigeria. Dr. Davachi was Chief Physician of the Kaiser Foundation International-United States Agency for International Development medical team.

Naturally in a country torn by war, life was not easy. Often there was no running water or electricity and an extremely limited diet. Their compensation was the enthusiasm with which the Teachings were received by those who had suffered, and observing the power of the Teachings to eliminate barriers of prejudice and antagonism between peoples. Both Davachis were impressed by the spiritual sensitivity and mental good health of the Nigerians, and the upbringing of children who are never left alone as infants.


Left to right: Dr. Farzin Davachi, the Vice-President of the Kaiser Foundation International, and the Governor of the Rivers State of Nigeria.


Dr. Farzin Davachi and his wife Nancy with their oldest son who was a six week old pioneer to Nigeria, the youngest in the country. A second son was born five weeks after their return to the United States. The greatest desire of the Davachis now is to return to Africa as soon as they can find another assignment.


Dr. Davachi examining one of his patients in the pediatric ward.


[Page 24]

CONTENTS
Mansion Mazra’ih Purchased
1
Shared Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
2
The Nine Year Plan
4
International Youth Conference, Paramaribo, Surinam
7
Irish Hand of the Cause of God, George Townshend
8
Hand of the Cause of God Inspires Teacher Training Session
12
Passing of Pioneer Mrs. Marion Little
13
Central African Youth Conference
13
Youth Teaching Project in Punta Arenas, Chile
14
Bahama Island Teaching Trips
17
The Great Safari of Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum
18
Continued Report of an Indian Pioneer in Tanzania
21
National Bahá’í Youth Conference, Orure, Bolivia (Photograph)
22
In Biafra, Serving Mankind
23
Pioneers in Portugal (Photograph)
24
Deepening in Palca, Chiquisaca, Bolivia (Photograph)
24

Pioneers in Portugal[edit]


In Portugal, a group of pioneers from the United States who came to assist in fulfilling the Nine Year Plan goals for that country. In the group are John Bradley, H. Leland Cuellar, June Ritter, Carol Sherman and Mary Braga with Portuguese friends. They are preparing to break up into teaching teams and go on teaching trips.


Deepening Study Course in the community of Palca, Chiquisaca, Bolivia, being taught by four native teachers: Meleton Gallarde, Agustin Gareca, Facunde Cardose and Franciscana Manuelani, devoted, experienced Indian teachers. They have said: “We start with prayers, we glorify God, then we study.”

(Continued from page 13)

A party Sunday evening officially closed the Conference with much joy and laughter and fellowship among the friends.

During the days that followed, the Chadian friends, in consultation with the National Teaching Committee of Cameroon, arranged an extensive teaching trip on their route home. Accompanied by traveling teacher Jean Christophe Casu they hoped to visit the existing Bahá’í localities in the North Eastern part of Cameroon and open many more. Some of the Central African friends, accompanied by Samuel Akele, were also able to do some teaching in Eastern Cameroon as they started on their long journey home.

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