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No. 509

BAHA’I YEAR 130

AUGUST, 1973

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International	The	Bahá’í
Teaching Centre	Great Safari	Life
established	continues	in Burma

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CONTENTS

International Teaching Centre established	3
Bahá’í life in Burma	6
Breakwell, the first Bahá’í of England	8
The Great Safari continued	10
Around the World	14
Third National Bahá’í Youth Conference of USA	17
The last German Domestic goal	18
A month of proclamation in America	19

CORRECTIONS

In the July 1973 issue on page 14, Bob Dickson is at the extreme right instead of Tom Armstead as stated

COVER PHOTO

A Daidanaw Government School where all the students are Bahá’ís.

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

BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee: Mrs. Evelyn Hardin, Managing Editor; Miss Charlotte Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative; Mr. Rexford C. Parmelee, Mrs. Sylvia Parmelee.

Material must be received by the twenty-fifth of the second month preceding date of issue. Address: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091, U.S.A.

Change of address should be reported directly to Membership and Records, National Bahá’í Center. 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. U.S.A. 60091.

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International Teaching Centre established in Holy Land

To the Bahá’ís of the World
Dear Bahá’í Friends,

The centennial year of the revelation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas has already witnessed events of such capital significance in the annals of the Bahá’í Dispensation as to cause us to contemplate with awe the rapidity with which Divine Providence is advancing the Cause of the Most Great Name. The time is indeed propitious for the establishment of the International Teaching Centre, a development which, at one and the same time, brings to fruition the work of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land and provides for its extension into the future, links the institution of the Boards of Counsellors even more intimately with that of the Hands of the Cause of God, and powerfully reinforces the discharge of the rapidly growing responsibilities of The Universal House of Justice.

This International Teaching Centre now established will, in due course, operate from that building designated by the Guardian as the Seat for the Hands of the Cause, which must be raised on the arc on Mount Carmel in close proximity to the Seat of the Universal House of Justice.

The duties now assigned to this nascent institution are:

• To coordinate, stimulate and direct the activities of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and to act as liaison between them and The Universal House of Justice.
• To be fully informed of the situation of the Cause in all parts of the world and to be able, from the background of this knowledge, to make reports and recommendations to The Universal House of Justice and give advice to the Continental Boards of Counsellors.
• To be alert to possibilities, both within and without the Bahá’í community, for the extension of the teaching work into receptive or needy areas, and to draw the attention of The Universal House of Justice and the Continental Boards of Counsellors to such possibilities, making recommendations for action.
• To determine and anticipate needs for literature, pioneers and travelling teachers and to work out teaching plans, both regional and global, for the approval of The Universal House of Justice.

All the Hands of the Cause of God will be members of the International Teaching Centre. Each Hand will be kept regularly informed of the activities of the Centre through reports or copies of its minutes, and will be able, wherever he may be residing or travelling, to convey suggestions, recommendations and information to the Centre and, whenever he is in the Holy Land, to take part in the consultations and other activities of the Centre.

In addition, we now appoint Mr. Hooper Dunbar, Mrs. Florence Mayberry and Mr. ‘Azíz Yazdí to membership of the International Teaching Centre, with the rank of Counsellor. These believers, who have been serving with distinction on the Continental Boards of Counsellors in South America, North America and Central and East Africa respectively, will henceforth reside in Haifa and will, together with the Hands present in the Holy Land, constitute the nucleus of the operations of the Centre.

Authority for the expulsion and reinstatement of Covenant-breakers remains with the Hands of the Cause of God. All such matters will be investigated locally by the relative Continental Board of Counsellors in consultation with any Hand or Hands who may be in the area. The Continental Board of Counsellors and the Hands concerned will then make their reports to the International Teaching Centre where they will be considered. The decision whether or not to expel or reinstate will be made by the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land who will, as at present, submit their decision to The Universal House of Justice for approval.

The following changes to the zones of the Continental Boards of Counsellors are now made:

• The number of zones has been raised to twelve by the removal of India, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Laccadive, Maldive, Andaman and Nicobar Islands from the zone of Western Asia to constitute the new zone of South Central Asia.
• The Philippines, Hong Kong and Macau are transferred from North-eastern Asia to South-eastern Asia.
• The Caroline Islands and all other Pacific islands lying north of the equator and between longitudes 140° east and 140° west, with the exception of the Gilbert Islands, will be transferred from the zone of Australasia to the zone of North-eastern Asia. Islands under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska remain in the zone of North America.

The number of Counsellors is now raised to fifty-seven by the appointment of Mr. Friday Ekpe and Mr. Dhikru’lláh Kázimí in North-western Africa, Mr. Húshang ‘Ahdíyyih and Mr. Peter Vuyiya in Central and East Africa, Dr. Sarah Pereira and Mrs. Velma Sherrill in North America, Mr. Rowland Estall and Mr. Paul Lucas in Central America, Mrs. Leonora Armstrong, Mr. Peter McLaren and Mr. Raúl Pavón in South America, Mr. Dipchand Khianra and Mrs. Zena Sorabjee in South Central Asia, Mr. Firaydún Mítháqíyán in South-eastern Asia, Mr. Richard Benson and Miss Elena Marsella in North-eastern Asia and Miss Violet Hoehnke in Australasia. Dr. William Maxwell

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The establishment of the International Teaching Centre brings to fruition the work of the Hands residing in the Holy Land

who has been rendering distinguished service as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in North-western Africa has been obliged to return to the United States.

Mrs. Zena Sorabjee is appointed Trustee of the new Continental Fund of South Central Asia, while Mr. Húshang ‘Ahdíyyih and Mr. Mas‘úd Khamsí are appointed the new Trustees of the Continental Funds of Central and East Africa and South America respectively.

Beyond these significant developments at the World Centre of the Faith and on the continental level, it is becoming increasingly necessary in many parts of the world for the Auxiliary Boards to be reinforced. The nature of the work differs from zone to zone and The Universal House of Justice is now consulting the Boards of Counsellors on this matter before making an announcement.

The decisions now announced are the outcome of deliberation extending over a number of years, reinforced by consultations with the Hands of the Cause of God, and especially with the Hands residing in the Holy Land who were requested in 1968 to assist The Universal House of Justice in the establishment of the International Teaching Centre, a task that now increases in magnitude as that Centre begins its work.

It is our fervent prayer that the Blessed Beauty will abundantly confirm this latest unfoldment of His divinely-purposed Administrative Order.

—THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

MEMBERSHIP OF THE CONTINENTAL BOARDS OF
COUNSELLORS, ACCORDING TO THE
NEW BOUNDARIES OF MAY 1973.

(New appointments are indicated with an asterisk.)

North-western Africa

Ḥusayn Ardikání (Trustee of Continental Fund)

* Friday Ekpe

* Dhikru’lláh Káẓimí

Muḥammad Kebdani

Central and East Africa

* Húshang ‘Ahdíyyih (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Oloro Epyeru

Kolonario Oule

Isobel Sabri

Mihdí Samandarí

* Peter Vuyiya

Southern Africa

Seewoosumbur-Jeehoba Appa

Shídán Fatḥ-i-A‘ẓam (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Bahíyyih Winckler

North America

Lloyd Gardner

* Sarah Pereira

* Velma Sherrill

Edna True (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Central America

Carmen de Burafato

* Rowland Estall

Artemus Lamb

* Paul Lucas

Alfred Osborne (Trustee of Continental Fund)

South America

* Leonora Armstrong

Athos Costas

Mas‘úd Khamsí (Trustee of Continental Fund)

* Peter McLaren

* Raúl Pavón

Donald Witzel

Western Asia

Iraj Ayman

Masíh Farhangí

Hádi Raḥmání (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Manúchihr Salmánpúr

South Central Asia

Shirin Boman

* Dipchand Khianra

Zena Sorabjee (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Sankaran-Nair Vasudevan

South-eastern Asia

* Firaydún Mítháqíyán

Khudáraḥm Paymán (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Vicente Samaniego

Chellie Sundram

Yan Kee Leong

North-eastern Asia

* Richard Benson

John McHenry III

* Elena Marsella

Rúḥu’lláh Mumtází (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Australasia

Suhayl ‘Alá’í

* Violet Hoehnke

Howard Harwood

Thelma Perks (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Europe

Erik Blumenthal

Anneliese Bopp

Dorothy Ferraby

Louis Henuzet (Trustee of Continental Fund)

Betty Reed

ZONES OF THE CONTINENTAL BOARDS OF COUNSELLORS

AS REVISED BY THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE IN MAY 1973

1. North-western Africa
   All the continent of Africa west of the eastern frontiers of Tunisia, Algeria, Niger and Nigeria plus the Cape Verde Islands.
2. Central and East Africa
   All the continent of Africa east of the western frontiers of Libya, Chad and the United Cameroon Republic and north of the southern frontiers of Zaïre and Tanzania plus the islands of Fernando Póo, Príncipe, São Tomé and Annobón in the Atlantic Ocean and Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia Islands in the Indian Ocean.

[Page 5] Zones of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, May 1973

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3. Southern Africa
   All the continent of Africa south of the northern frontiers of Angola, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique plus the Island of Madagascar and all islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans between longitudes 20° west and 80° east and south of the equator with the exception of the Islands of Annobón, Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia which are assigned to the zone of Central and East Africa.
4. North America
   All the continent of America north of the southern frontier of the United States plus all offshore islands in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans including the Aleutian chain and all islands under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, also Greenland and all offshore islands politically belonging to Greenland, all islands in the Atlantic Ocean west of longitude 40° west and between latitude 60° north and the Tropic of Cancer plus those Bahama Islands lying south of the Tropic of Cancer.
5. Central America
   All the continent of America south of the northern frontier of Mexico and north of the southern frontier of Panama plus the offshore islands in the Pacific Ocean belonging politically to countries of this zone plus Clipperton Island, all islands in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea south of the Tropic of Cancer except the Bahama Islands which are allocated to the zone of North America and islands belonging politically to Colombia and Venezuela, the islands of Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba, Trinidad and Tobago which are all allocated to the zone at South America.
6. South America
   All the continent of South America, the Galápagos Islands, Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Trinidad and Tobago, all islands in the Caribbean and North Atlantic Oceans belonging politically to countries of this zone plus all islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans south of the equator and between longitude 120° west and longitude 20° west.
7. Western Asia
   All the continent of Asia west of the eastern boundaries of Pakistan, Sinkiang, the Mongolian Republic, the Oblasts of Chita and Irkutsk and the Kray of Krasnoyarsk and east of the western boundaries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, plus those parts of Turkey and Kazakhstan which lie in Europe and including the Transcaucasian S.S.R.s of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as all islands in the Persian Gulf and islands in the Arabian Sea belonging politically to countries of this zone.
8. South Central Asia
   India, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Laccadive, Maldive, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
9. South-eastern Asia
   China south of the northern boundaries of Yünnan, Szechwan, Hupeh, Anhwei and Kiangsu, as well as Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Macau. Excluding Portuguese Timor.

continued page twenty-three

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Bahá’í life in Burma

Bahá’ís in Rangoon and nearby villages in front of the National Bahá’í Center.

Bahá’ís at Twante, Burma, at the local center

[Page 7] photos by greg dahl

Bahá’ís winnowing the rich harvest in the fields near the Bahá’í village of Daidanaw, Burma ( February 1973).

Bahá’ís in Daidanaw, Kungangood Township, Burma, called the “Village of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” They are having tea with travel-teacher Greg Dahl in their meeting hall. The two gentlemen on the right are National Spiritual Assembly members.

Bahá’ís crossing the bridge linking the village of Daidanaw with the fields (February 1973).

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Breakwell the first Bahá’í of England

O. Z. Whitehead

Thomas Breakwell was taught of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh by May Bolles (later Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell).

While a member of the first party of pilgrims from the West to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, May was asked by the Master to return to Paris and establish a Bahá’í Center in that city. This was accomplished in a few months.

An unforgettable event was experienced by May in the summer of 1901 and related in a letter to a friend, dated December 2, 1913. May lived with her mother in Paris, but at this time her mother did not understand the Bahá’í Cause and as a result she disapproved of May’s constant service to it particularly since her journey to ‘Akká. Early in the spring her mother wrote to the Master asking him to allow her to take May along with her brother to Brittany for the summer. The Master answered Mrs. Bolles that under no account was May to leave Paris. Learning that the Master’s refusal had made Mrs. Bolles most unhappy, the great teacher, Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl, wrote Him to explain how she felt. He still did not give His permission.

When her mother and brother left the city, May moved to a small apartment in a charming house belonging to a friend, Mrs. Jackson. During the first month that May spent there she held wonderful meetings which led to the conversion of many precious souls.

Early in the summer, Mrs. Milner, whom May had known the previous winter, met a young Englishman on a ship sailing from the United States to France. Although Mrs. Milner had never shown any apparent interest in The Bahá’í Cause, she still felt moved to invite him to come with her to see, “a special friend,” in Paris. The day after Mrs. Milner and he arrived in that city, May found them standing at her door.

She has vividly described her first sight of him. “It was like looking at a veiled light. I saw at once his pure heart, his thirsty soul, and over all was cast the veil which is over every soul until it is rent asunder by the power of God in this day.”³ She added that he was “of medium height, slender, erect and graceful with intense eyes and an indescribable charm.”⁴ May soon learned that although he was English he held an important post in a cotton mill in a southern state of America, where he had been living for some time, and that he usually spent long summer vacations in Europe.

They discussed his work and the trip that he was planning. He spoke of his great interest in Theosophy and seemed to think that she shared the same. She did not mention the Bahá’í Cause. Even so, she felt that he was studying her carefully. As he was leaving he asked May if he might come to see her again and hear about some teachings that Mrs. Milner had referred to on the steamer without mentioning what they were. Since he only planned to stay in Paris for a few days, she asked him to return on the following morning. He arrived with “his eyes shining, his face illumined, his voice vibrating under the stress of great emotion.”⁵

He looked at her very intently and then said, “I have come to you to help me. Yesterday after I left you, I walked alone down the boulevard and suddenly some great force nearly swept me off my feet. I stood still as though awaiting something, and a voice announced to me distinctly, ‘Christ has come!’ ” Then he said, “What do you think this means?”⁶

In answer to his question, she immediately gave him the Bahá’í Message.

For the next three days, during many hours which they spent together, she spoke to him about the exalted Mission of His Holiness, the Báb, His early martyrdom, the early martyrdom of many more who believed in Him, and about Bahá’u’lláh, the Blessed Beauty Who shone upon the world as the Sun of eternity, Who had given to mankind the law of God for this age—the consummation of all past ages and cycles.”⁷

She gave him all the Bahá’í literature in her possession. She described to him her visit to the Prison of ‘Akká and the unforgettable days that she had spent in the presence of the Master. As she taught him, the veil that she had first seen over him disappeared. “He was like a blazing light.”⁸

On the third day of their conversation he became entirely transformed. No former ambition remained. He now had only a single passionate longing: to meet the Master. On this same day Thomas Breakwell wrote this supplication to Him, “My Lord! I believe; forgive me, Thy servant, Thomas Breakwell.”⁹ Although deeply moved by the depth and simplicity of his words, May did not yet fully understand why he had so urgently asked the Master for forgiveness. Without delay she wrote a letter to Him asking His permission for her young friend

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“In the meetings he spoke with a simplicity and eloquence which won the hearts and quickened the souls”.

to make the pilgrimage and enclosing his supplication.

That evening when May went to the concierge of her apartment to get her mail she found a little blue cablegram from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that had just arrived. It said, “You may leave Paris at any time.”¹⁰ The next day she most happily joined her mother and brother at the seashore. After May had told her mother all that had taken place and had read her the Master’s cablegram, she burst into tears and exclaimed “You have, indeed, a wonderful Master.”¹¹

In an informal talk that He gave in England on January 16, 1913, the Master said, “I have a lamp in my hand searching through the lands and seas to find souls who can become heralds of the Cause.”¹²

To one of May’s spiritual children, He wrote, “Her company uplifts and develops the soul.”¹³

Soon Breakwell received permission to make the pilgrimage and went to ‘Akká with Herbert Hopper, a young American Bahá’í whom May had also taught. Together with his friend, Breakwell was ushered into a large room in the Prison House, where he expected to meet the Master. At one end of this room he saw a group of men from the East. In no way impressed with any of them, he became deeply troubled and was afraid that he had failed to recognize His Lord. “Sorrow and despair filled his heart, when suddenly a door opened and, in that opening, he beheld what seemed to him the rising Sun. So brilliant was this orb, so intense the light, that he sprang to his feet and saw approaching him out of this dazzling splendor the form of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.¹⁴ Breakwell’s mood instantly changed from one of deep despair to indescribable joy.

In his conversation with the Master he described his position in the cotton mills of the South. Now clearly realizing that such a condition was wrong, he said “These mills are run on child labor.” The Master looked at him gravely and sadly for a while and then said “Cable your resignation.”¹⁵ With great relief Breakwell hastened to obey Him.

In his invaluable, scholarly biography, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Centre of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, H. M. Balyuzi has quoted some inspiring passages concerning Breakwell’s visit of two days in the prison city from Memories of Nine Years in ‘Akká by Dr. Yunis Khan Afrukhtih. He has written, “The fervor and the faith of this young man were so sublime in character that his blessed name shall ring throughout centuries and shall be remembered with deep affection in many chronicles.”¹⁶

Because of restrictions reimposed by the authorities his visit was unfortunately short. The intense love and great enthusiasm that he showed touched the hearts of all those who met him. On the day that he left the Master asked him to stay in Paris. At the Master’s request Yunis Khan went with this young man from ‘Akká back to Haifa and to the ship on which he was to sail.

While they were stopping at a believer’s house on the way, Breakwell turned more than once towards ‘Akká and prayed so fervently that everyone in the room was deeply moved. He asked Yunis Khan to correspond with him. Breakwell wanted to share with his new friend the divine fragrances of the Holy Places.

On his return to Paris, Breakwell, wonderfully influenced by his precious meeting with the Master and by

May Ellis Maxwell

the overwhelming experience of his entire pilgrimage, taught the Faith with increased spiritual power. “In the meetings he spoke with a simplicity and an eloquence which won the hearts and quickened the souls ...”¹⁷ Knowing that money was always urgently needed to assist in the progress of the Cause, he lived in an inexpensive apartment, far distant from where the other believers lived, and always walked to the meetings. Enormously sympathetic, he had a deep love for people and despite any inconvenience to himself he never failed to try and help them.

May has told this touching story about him: “Well I remember the day we were crossing a bridge over the

continued page twenty-three

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1. May Maxwell, An Early Pilgrimage, George Ronald, London, 1969, p. 13
2. Ibid. p. 16
3. Star of the West, Vol. V. March 2, 1915, p. 298
4. Bahá’í World, Vol. VII, p. 707
5. Star of the West, Vol. V, p. 298
6. Ibid. p. 298
7. Bahá’í World, Vol. VII, p. 709
8. Star of the West, Vol. V., p. 298
9. Ibid. p. 298
10. Bahá’í World, Vol. VII, p. 709
11. Ibid, p.709
12. Star of the West, Vol. IV, No. 15, Dec. 12, 1913, p. 256
13. Rúḥíyyih Rabbani, The Priceless Pearl, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, p. 150
14. Bahá’í World, Vol. VII, p. 709
15. Ibid. p. 110
16. H. M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, George Ronald, London, p. 76
17. Bahá’í World, Vol. VII, p. 709
18. Ibid, p.710
19. Ibid, p.710
20. H. M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 78
21. Ibid. p. 78
22. Ibid., p. 78
23. Bahá’í World, Vol. VII, p. 710-711
24. Ibid, p.710
25. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Ill.
26. Cablegram to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles

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The Great Safari

part nineteen

Amatu’l-Bahá presenting a gift of a football to the team in Limbe, Malawi.

Visitors receive a warm welcome at the airport

Amatu’l-Bahá and members of the National Assembly of Malawi.

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by Violette Nakhjavani

Once again, because of the inaccessibility of Malawi by road, we put the Land Rover on a boat and sailed from Durban to Mombasa in Kenya. It was a strange coincidence to see the same Captain who took us on his cargo boat in 1970 from Duala to Matadi in the West Coast of Africa now in charge of our passenger liner of the same company. He was very surprised to find us still in Africa! In Mombasa we were met by Mr. ‘Azíz Yazdí, member of the Board of Counsellors in Central and East Africa, who saw us safely back to Nairobi.

A week’s stop-over in Nairobi was packed with activities which added greatly to the publicity of the Faith. Rúḥíyyih Khánum had two separate press conferences which gave rise to excellent articles about the reason for this unique Safari of two women crossing Africa alone—twice. At a reception given by the National Spiritual Assembly for Rúḥíyyih Khánum, in one of the popular hotels of the city, a good number of prominent people heard her give a brief introduction to the Faith.

While at a one-day Youth Conference in the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds she spoke to over 200 young people about their responsibility in this sick society we see about us in the world today. She said one of the characteristics of youth has always been its tendency to want to be just like other youth; this is why whatever becomes the rage, all follow it. To be an exemplary Bahá’í is to be distinguished, not to be afraid to be different from the rest. This is not easy, but it is the greatest means of attracting the attention of not only other youth but everyone around you.

In addition to this, at an all-day meeting in the National Headquarters, over 150 friends gathered to meet Amatu’l-Bahá and hear her speak on the art of teaching the Faith. She said: “To teach the Faith is very much like selling your goods. If I go into a shop to buy a bar of soap, I want to get the soap first; if the salesman tries to sell me some bacon or salt I won’t be interested. We must first feel the need of the inquirer, then offer him from the ocean of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings what he is looking for, not something else we would like to thrust on him at that point. There is an answer to every need in His Writings.” In Africa, Rúḥíyyih Khánum said “There is a great need for the spiritual teachings such as the purpose of creation, life after death, prayers and so on. It is very easy to go around and say we believe in the unity of mankind, universal peace, compulsory education, a universal language and so on because we as individuals cannot do very much to implement these things; indirectly yes, but directly, to produce an immediate change in society, we cannot do a thing. But to speak of the moral teachings, teachings which should have an immediate influence in one’s daily life, we overlook; and I am afraid the reason often is because we do not try to live up to them in our own daily lives.”

In Malawi

We flew to Malawi on October 11th and were met by the Counsellor Mr. Shidan Fatheázam and the representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly, as well as by

[Page 11] official government representatives in the V.I.P. lounge where Amatu’l-Bahá had a press and radio interview. This resulted in an announcement of her arrival on the radio which coincided with the commencement of the British Commonwealth Conference. This was highly gratifying, as were also favorable articles in the press. That same day Rúḥíyyih Khánum met with the National Spiritual Assembly and the Counsellor, and the proposed program of her tour was discussed and approved. At a meeting in the evening at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Limbe over 120 believers gathered to welcome her and listened to her words of love and encouragement. Later we all shared together a delicious meal provided by the National Assembly.

The highlight of the Malawi tour of Amatu’l-Bahá was her interview with the President of that country. On the morning of October 13th, according to an arrangement made before our arrival, Amatu’l-Bahá, accompanied by Mr. Fatheázam, the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly and myself, visited the Minister of State, the Hon. A. A. Muwalo Nqumayo, in his office. Mr. Muwalo became a good friend and admirer of the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga during his visit last year, and because of this friendship formed a very high opinion of the Faith. He is a very distinguished and courteous person and the first thing he told us after the introductions were over was that the President was waiting to see us. He said a call had come from Zomba and we should go there at once. Zomba is fifty miles away from Blantyre and Mr. Muwalo told Amatu’l-Bahá he would escort her there personally; this was very fortunate as during this same drive we were able to discuss with him a great deal about the Faith and to stress the cardinal principle of obedience to government. Because of an earlier close association with a young man in Uganda, who later on became one of the leaders of the independence movement in Malawi and who had been a friend of Mr. Muwalo, we were able to impart much of the Teachings. This subject of obedience to government is vital throughout Africa, but in Malawi it is crucial because of the activities of a militant Christian denomination which actively incites its followers not to obey their government and had not only caused President Banda and his government a great deal of trouble but had been recently banned and its followers expelled from the country.

We were received by the life President, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, in his presidential office in Zomba, where he conducts much of his official business. In the center of the room was a long board table surrounded by chairs. President Banda is a very dynamic man, in spite of his seventy years, and when he entered from a private office at the head of this room one immediately felt the force of his personality. After cordially greeting us all, he sat at the head of the table with Amatu’l-Bahá at his left.

He asked her whether she was a Canadian, and she said that her father was Canadian and her mother American but since her marriage in 1937 she has lived in the Holy Land, which is the World Center of the Bahá’í

[Page 12] Amatu’l-Bahá and the Bahá’ís of Naminyuku village, Malawi, before their local Centre which they were rebuilding on a larger scale.

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Faith. The moment the name of the Bahá’í Faith was mentioned the President beamed and pointed to an imposing, large, hand-wrought copper plaque on the wall, saying “Yes, I know the Bahá’ís. They gave me this.” This plaque represents the head of a majestic lion and was presented to him by Mr. Olinga on behalf of the Bahá’ís of Malawi with a dedication on it quoting the words of Bahá’u’lláh “So powerful is the light of unity it can illumine the whole earth” and added that it is given to Dr. H. K. Banda in appreciation of his efforts to establish peace and unity in the world. He is so proud of this beautiful and symbolic gift that he has hung it in this prominent place and calls the attention of many of his visitors to it (so we were told by others).

He remembered Mr. Olinga very well and told us what he had told him, that his hopes are to make his country a haven of peace and unity where all races and religions are free to live and function, providing they do not interfere with the peace of the land. He said there are certain Christian sects who force themselves on people, knocking at their doors and frightening them with hell fire if they do not join their particular church, which he felt was entirely wrong. He asked Rúḥíyyih Khánum if she did not agree with him. She said, “Yes,” and that in her public as well as informal talks she often told her listeners that she was not asking them to leave their religions and follow hers. She said “It is as if I am invited to dinner in someone’s home, the table is laid with all kinds of food, my host invites me to eat. If I am hungry I will, but if I am not no one can force me to eat. This is the spirit with which we offer the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to other people. They are free to accept them or not as they wish.” The President liked this answer and example immensely. He said, “I always have believed that the government is the instrument of keeping law and order and religions are likewise upholders of law and order, therefore how can a religion set itself up to judge the doings and the laws of the government?”

When Rúḥíyyih Khánum quoted the words of Christ “Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” he agreed wholeheartedly. Rúḥíyyih Khánum once again stressed the cardinal Bahá’í principle of obedience to government and said this law is so important in the eyes of the Founder of our Faith that it even superseded the law not to kill: for instance although to kill another man is the most abhorrent act in the sight of God in our religion, if our government in time of war requires us to carry arms, we obey; if there is, however, a clause in the law of the country by which we can apply for non-combatant military service we do so, but we always obey our government. Amatu’l-Bahá went on to say that in the eyes of Bahá’u’lláh it seems there was one thing even worse than war and this was anarchy and revolution and civil strife. He listened attentively to this and was obviously very pleased and impressed.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum told the President about our trip through Africa and said that the fact that two white women alone had travelled across the continent with no driver or man accompanying them was the greatest compliment one could pay the African people, not just

[Page 13]

‘Racial prejudice is like a flea, the best thing is to quickly get hold of it, kill it, and get rid of it’

words; we had done it because we knew the villagers would always receive us kindly and we were not afraid. She said, “I cannot say as much for my own part of the world, the Western World, and particularly America.” The President replied, “When the Europeans came to this country, because they did not see the Bible in the hands of the people, they denounced them as heathen, evil and therefore doomed. They were wrong, our people always had a very strong code of morals, ethics and law.” He said, “All my efforts are now towards guarding my people against the evils of the Western World, its immorality, its lawlessness and irreligion.” He continued, “I do not allow so-called hippies in my country. Women are required to dress in a decent way.” (In fact, if a tourist arrives at the airport in a miniskirt, she is requested politely to conform to the law and cover herself. We were surprised—and pleased—to see that many white women, obviously residents, disembarked in most flattering long dresses.) “Films,” the President said, “are strictly censored so that as much as possible this filth of the West does not come into this country.” Rúḥíyyih Khánum vehemently said she thanked God the President saw the dangers and had the courage to do something about them. He was most cordial and when he said good-bye took her hand in both of his and wished her a very sincere welcome to his country and a long and enjoyable stay. This interview lasted almost half an hour and undoubtedly further strengthened the status of the Cause in Malawi.

In Blantyre Amatu’l-Bahá had a radio interview, as well as a very well attended public meeting in the University of Malawi. On this occasion she spoke on one of her favorite themes, the role of youth in modern society, which never fails to interest her listeners. They announced the title of her talk as “The Problem of Youth in Modern Society” but her talk was one continuous outpouring of hope and encouragement and at the end, when the chairman thanked her, he said, “Although our speaker did not talk directly on the Bahá’í Faith, we are anxious to know more about this religion which glowed through her words and her mind and gave us an inclination that it is a religion of hope and not despair.”

In the course of her talk Rúḥíyyih Khánum suggested a very interesting method of combating racial prejudice; she said often, when we do not approve of or like something in a person who is not of our race, we instantly and wrongfully jump to the conclusion that because he is of such and such racial background therefore he is like that. She said the answer I have found to this is simple; it is like a card game in which you match your cards. When for instance in Africa I enter a house that is dirty and untidy, instead of allowing myself to say all Africans are dirty or untidy, I say to myself, “Do you remember some years ago in London in one of the better hotels, when you bent down to retrieve something that had fallen under the bed, how dirty it was?” I match the same incident I had seen with my own race and people, then one finds that good and bad habits and characteristics can be found amongst all people.

She made everyone laugh when she said: “Racial prejudice is like a flea, if it gets into your clothes it bothers you no end, the best thing is to quickly get hold of it, kill it, and get rid of it.”

During the question period a young man, a student,

Left to right: The Chief, Amatu’l-Bahá, the District Chief and the National Assembly Secretary.

said: “Prejudice seems to be a characteristic of man everywhere, why do you say then that the African is without prejudice, are we different from all other men?” Rúḥíyyih Khánum replied, “I did not say you are without prejudice, I said you have no racial prejudice. Your prejudice is the tribal prejudice because that is the immediate historic background of Africa with all its tribal wars and strife, that is your problem. Prejudice is bad in whatever form it may appear. But there are different kinds of prejudice. It is like a man contracting chicken pox, he will have fever, he will be miserable, a rash will appear all over him and so forth; another man may contract smallpox, he will also suffer with fever and rash and discomfort, but can we say they both are in the same degree of danger? No, one is a real killer, the other is merely very uncomfortable. Racial prejudice is one of the most terrible diseases of humanity, it is a purely animal characteristic and we should all endeavor to purify the body of mankind from this cruel disease.”

During her stay in Malawi Amatu’l-Bahá visited many villages and communities throughout the country. In the village of Kanachi she met with the community and encouraged them, and when the women complained that their men were lazy and would not do their share in building their Bahá’í Center, she spoke to them with such love and forbearance that I am sure soon the men built the center with the bricks that the women had made. In the village of Mpaso, the community was quite new and very eager to know more. A number of older people were present and after Amatu’l-Bahá spoke on the different teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, they asked if her purpose was to tell them to leave their old churches and become members of this new church. Rúḥíyyih Khánum patiently explained that the Bahá’í Faith is not a new church adding to the numerous churches of Christianity, it is the Message of God for this day, it is the fulfillment of all the prophecies and hopes of past religions. She spoke of the power of prayer and

continued page sixteen

[Page 14]

Around The World

Taiwan proclamation

In December 1972 The Bahá’ís of Taiwan, Republic of China, embarked on a program of proclamation. The campaign was planned to start at the top and to reach all levels of Government officials.

A specially designed kit was planned for presentation. Entirely in Chinese, it represented months of preparation. It is an adaptation of the United States kit designed for the news media. Within its attractive gold-lettered brown cover is a copy of the Charter of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Taiwan, a hardbound edition of The New Garden (with Chinese adaptation), and other materials. Each book was properly inscribed with the recipient’s name and title, along with the date and the seal of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Taiwan.

Letters were written by the National Spiritual Assembly in advance, notifying each individual that representatives of the Bahá’í Faith would call within the next few days, to present them with a book and information about the Bahá’í Faith. In the case of the top officials, letters were exchanged and appointments made.

The first call was made February 24, 1973. One of the earliest presentations was made to the Vice-Premier of the Republic of China, Mr. Hsu Ching-Chung. Through him, the Bahá’í kit with an inscribed book was delivered to the Premier, Mr. Ching-Chung Kuo. Another early presentation was made to the Governor of the Province of Taiwan, Mr. Hsieh Tung-Ming.

Taiwan’s proclamation campaign is continuing, with the aim of teaching government officials at every level throughout the Province of Taiwan, including village mayors and local police officials.

Hummingbird on Okinawa

On May 9, 1973, Bahá’ís of Okinawa were jubilant for they had presented a three-hour radio program on the Faith. People phoned in questions which were answered by Caroline Lawrence, formerly a pioneer in Thailand, and Chuck Fuller. From many beautiful comments and expressions of appreciation, they were assured that interest in the Faith was growing on the island. The station manager selected as background music the song “Hummingbird,” the popular composition by Seals and Crofts.

The Virgin Islands

A view of the courtyard from the street, inside the gate, of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. It was difficult to find a suitable property, but finally this old and rather historic Danish building was secured, a corner edifice. Since this photo was made the building has been painted, extensive renovations made, and the courtyard landscaped. The building was dedicated late in May.

‎Bernsberg Bensberg‎ Dawnbreakers

Bensberg is a small town surrounded by a large forest, partly on the hillside and partly in the valley not far away from world-famed Cologne.

American youth proclaimed here with shining eyes and untiring efforts during the Summer Teaching Project, saying “Have you heard of Bahá’u’lláh?” They have been the “Dawnbreakers” for the Faith in Bensberg.

At the beginning there were two Bahá’ís in the town, and one of these, Mrs. Margret Rastegar said: “Through the unending efforts of the young American friends and with the help of their music groups ‘The New Garden’ and the Islandic group ‘Geysir’, the people have become attracted.” The Assembly is grateful and sent its deepest love to the American youth whose effort helped to bring their Assembly into being.

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[Page 15]

Norway Victorious; Switzerland euphoric

The Nine Year Plan for Norway called for four additional Local Spiritual Assemblies and 130 locations where Bahá’ís reside. These were accomplished during the last year of the plan with these newly formed Assemblies: Bode, over the Arctic Circle; Baerum; Lillehammer and As. Each has two or more pioneers.

It was not possible to have a group in Spitzenbergen but a dedicated Bahá’í is located there who has been actively holding firesides and meetings.

The Universal House of Justice sent the following cable to Norway:

April 23, 1973

LOVING CONGRATULATIONS ESTABLISHMENT ASSEMBLY AS COMPLETING GOAL ASSEMBLIES LOCALITIES. VICTORY ENDOWS NORWEGIAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY ADDED STRENGTH ACHIEVEMENT GREAT ADVANCES CHALLENGING YEARS AHEAD. OFFERING PRAYERS GRATITUDE HOLY SHRINES.

On the weekend of May 5 and 6, 1973, Bahá’í youth and friends from all over Switzerland converged on a small chalet near Sainte-Croix for a weekend of deepening, relaxation and celebration of the victorious conclusion of the Nine Year Plan.

Despite the weather—it rained the whole weekend and the road to the chalet was still snowbound, necessitating a half-hour’s walk up the mountain, eighty youth took part in this unifying experience. Activities included a report from the International Convention by Bijan and Agnes Ghaznavi, National Assembly members who had just returned from the Holy Land; study groups on “Prayer and Meditation”, “Purity and Rectitude”, and “Love and Unity”; as well as an evening of music and games and walks in the pure Swiss mountain air. The spirit moved three new friends to enroll themselves in the ever-growing army of Bahá’u’lláh.

The French-speaking and German-speaking youth, who, due to the urgent requirements of this last year of the Plan, had been working separately in their respective regions, were overjoyed and full of praise to God to find themselves together again, united in the victory of the Nine Year Plan.

Members of the first Spiritual Assembly of Lillehammer, Norway, a goal city of the Nine Year Plan formed on March 10, 1973. It is composed of four pioneers from the United States, three Persians and but one local Bahá’í. Auxiliary Board member Modesta Hvide from Bergen moved to complete the nine. Now a mother and daughter from Lillehammer have become Bahá’ís. Seated, left to right: Berdyne Halse, Auxiliary Board member Modesta Hvide, Mehrangiz Navidi, Pamela Reveal. Standing: Tofighian Bahman, Jane O Kada, Abdellat Navidi, Torill Syversen and Michael Reveal.

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In addition to the two National Spiritual Assembly members who were present, Heinz Goelthenboth, Auxiliary Board member for Switzerland was also present. When the question was asked how many there were serving on a Local Spiritual Assembly, eighty percent of the room stood up, which indicated the tremendous sacrifices in teaching and pioneering on the part of the Swiss youth this past year.

Though the sleeping and plumbing arrangements were not ideal, all appreciated the simple meals and facilities and all helped to cook, do dishes, serve and clean the chalet. All were especially grateful to Martine Rossier, a Bahá’í youth from Geneva, and her parents who had not only rented the chalet, but prepared it for the weekend and helped to clean when the weekend was over. Martine’s parents, on their part, were impressed by the spirit of love and unity among the Bahá’í youth and expressed their gratitude for the songs the youth sang for them.

All expressed the hope that the experience would be repeated.

Rangoon meeting

Bahá’ís in Rangoon and nearby village areas in front of the National Bahá’í Center in February 1973.

[Page 16]

Dominicans consult on consolidation

The thirteenth Annual National Bahá’í Convention of the Bahá’ís of the Dominican Republic was held in Santo Domingo May 19-20, 1973. Félix Ramón Gómez, Auxiliary Board member representing the Continental Board of Counsellors, was present. Of the thirty-eight delegates, seventeen were present and four additional delegates voted by mail for the new National Spiritual Assembly.

The first day of the Convention was spent reading and consulting upon the convention Messages from The Universal House of Justice and the Continental Board of Counsellors. In the remaining time available that day, consultation was begun on the future year’s teaching plan as presented by the National Spiritual Assembly.

Because of the rapid increase in mass enrollments during the past year as a result of the “Dr. Muhájir Plan”, the biggest problems facing the Bahá’í community are those of consolidation. The basic teaching plan calls for frequent personal and written contact of the National Spiritual Assembly with Local Assemblies about such subjects as prayer, the Bahá’í fund, and the Nineteen Day Feast. A series of weekend institutes has also been planned throughout the country to coincide with the dates of Feasts at which “Bahá’í History” and “Living the Bahá’í Life” will be the central themes. Teaching will continue to be in the forefront, and a series of weekend teaching projects based on the mass enrollment plan of the previous year will be carried out during the year. Throughout the convention consultations, the increasing maturity of the Bahá’í community was made evident by the quality of suggestions and the evident devotion to the Cause of those present and participating.

The Saturday evening session began with the election of the National Spiritual Assembly in a prayerful, quiet atmosphere. Then, joined by the many visitors, a Unity Feast sponsored by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Santo Domingo was held. This was indeed one of the highlights of the Convention because of the great love and warmth it generated among all those present.

The group picture has Auxiliary Board member, Félix Rámon Gómez, in the front row, kneeling, to the extreme right.

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly are as follows:

Front row, left to right: Ing. Rafael Benzán, Corresponding Secretary; Wilfred Rowland; Sheila Rice-Wray, Treasurer; Rowell Hoff, Chairman; Austin Rowland, Vice-Chairman.

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The last day of the Convention continued with fruitful consultation on the teaching plan and general problems facing the Bahá’í community, as well as the sharing of many useful experiences. Near the end of the last session, special tribute was paid to pioneers Frank and Agnes Sheffey who will be leaving soon to move to Guyana.

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Great Safari continued

(from page thirteen)

said these words we use for a greeting, “Alláh-u-Abhá”, are in fact a prayer. She said if it was not for the power of this prayer which we repeated throughout our journey across Africa every time we were in trouble, we would not be here today. People were so thrilled by this that even many non-Bahá’ís asked us to write “Alláh-u-Abhá” on their Bahá’í pamphlets so that they could learn it by heart. They repeated it many times.

We spent a night in the village of Naminyuku in the home of one of the National Assembly members and had a very pleasant meeting in their Bahá’í Center. This is one of the earliest communities established many years ago. They had built themselves a Bahá’í Center, but their Local Spiritual Assembly decided recently that their Center was too small and was beginning to be destroyed by termites so they agreed to tear it down and build a new one. This new building was almost completed when we arrived. A large meeting took place in it, attended by the Chief, who is a good friend of the Bahá’ís. A man who was attending his first Bahá’í meeting asked: “Do the Bahá’ís believe in the teaching of the oneness of mankind or is it just beautiful words?” He said: “In our country many white people in theory believe that we are all children of one Father and so on, but when it comes to everyday acts such as eating a meal with an African, they never do it.” Rúḥíyyih Khánum said: “What better example do you want than our group here who are the guests of your people, sleep in their homes and eat with them their food? In fact, we Bahá’ís are delighted when a member of one race marries in our country a member of another race, which is increasingly taking place.”

[Page 17]

Meeting largest ever in America

Auditorium, in Oklahoma City Where Bahá’í Youth Met

More than 4000 jubilant Bahá’ís attended the Third National Bahá’í Youth Conference of the United States in Oklahoma City June 20-24. It was the largest gathering of Bahá’ís yet held in the Western Hemisphere.

Visitors and pioneers from at least nineteen countries and territories of the world attended, as did representatives from nineteen American Indian tribes.

Planning for the Youth Conference began nine months before Dr. Phil Christiansen, the permanent chairman of the event, opened the Conference at 8 pm, Wednesday, June 20.

The principal purpose of the Youth Conference, according to Mr. Glenford Mitchell, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, was to stimulate the regeneration of the inner life.

“It is the inner life we are concerned with,” he said. “If we take care of the inner life we will win all of the external victories.”

On behalf of the National Assembly he proclaimed the resounding victory of the Five Year Youth Program, launched in 1968 to involve American Bahá’í youth in the teaching work; and he said that its success contributed largely to the early achievement of the goals of the Nine Year Plan. When the youth program was launched in 1968 there were only 800 Bahá’í youth in the United States. In 1973, Mr. Mitchell noted, there are at least 10,000.

“With this victory in your palm, with your numbers greatly reinforced, wonderful challenges, golden opportunities are open to you, the youth of America,” he said. “Therefore, do not rest for a moment on your accomplishments. There is really no time for relaxation ... The multitude of your peers await the news that only you can give them.”

Prominent visitors to the Youth Conference included The Hand of The Cause of God William Sears, who addressed the youth on five different occasions, newly-appointed Continental Counsellor Sarah Pereira and members of the Auxiliary Board. The National Spiritual Assembly met in Oklahoma City while the Conference was in progress, and members of that institution made several presentations to the assembled Bahá’í youth. Several of the featured speakers were themselves Bahá’í youth.

A special concert and fireside was given by Seals and Croft, the popular Bahá’í musicians, on Saturday evening, June 23. It lasted almost four hours, and was attended by more than 12,000 persons.

Each afternoon of the Conference a Trade Fair to Dispense information on pioneering and career opportunities was conducted. In addition to Bahá’í professionals assembled to advise the youth on potential fields of employment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a federal government agency, sent a team from its Dallas regional office to provide information on the occupational outlook in the United States through 1980.

“The youth particularly appreciated getting information on professions from Bahá’ís in different fields of work,” a member of the Trade Fair staff explained. “They really got into it. This Trade Fair should become a regular feature of future gatherings where Bahá’í Youth will be present,” he noted.

The impact of this Bahá’í gathering on some of the participants was profound. “I cry when I see so many Bahá’ís at such a big gathering,” said Mr. Nematollah Gandomi, a 78 year-old Iranian believer on his first trip outside his homeland. “The heaven that is prophesied in our Books is what I see here,” he continued. “I have always been looking for this; the unity of the whole world and the different souls gathering together. This is the most beautiful gift I could take back to Iran.”

[Page 18]

The last German domestic goal

It seemed unlikely, being a youth, that the bounty of participating in a specific Nine Year Plan goal would be bestowed upon me. However, to my extreme delight, it so happened that Germany had one domestic goal left to fill. This was to establish a group on the small island of Borkum, surrounded by the North Sea, just northwest of the German coast. In the peak of the tourist season, Borkum’s population reaches around 40,000. During the rest of the year it slims down to a scant 6,000 people with their roots deeply embedded. Finding a real Borkumer was like panning for gold dust from the sand at the river’s bottom.

There was only one Bahá’í on the island at the time of my arrival, a man who had survived seven years with his non-Bahá’í, Catholic wife. Isolated and busy with his hairdressing business and domestic responsibilities, he had not been able to penetrate the bedrock of old-world Borkum. I was sent as a second Bahá’í, as a safety valve to insure the establishment of a group; however, my German was meager. Mr. Schaal, the first Bahá’í there, was a gracious host and I stayed with him the first week.

We were preparing for the arrival of a teaching-singing group from Holland. They came and we walked the streets extending invitations and performed that night, but not a new Bahá’í was to be found. The Dutch group left the next day and we wondered what next to do.

On my last day with the Schaals, I obtained employment at a beach-front hotel. My position was that of a combination busboy, janitor, window-washer and anything that needed to be done. My pay included a tiny room with a window in the ceiling and just enough space for all the positions in the Long Obligatory Prayer. Frequent rain and hail showers on this window to the sky made it next to impossible to get a full night’s sleep, and this was aggravated by having contracted the island’s strain of influenza. On my first day of the job I couldn’t work.

Then a marvelous thing happened: Mrs. Mahvash Master Saffar arrived! She had come from her home in Australia after a dream in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá seemed to tell her to help the friends in Germany to finish the Nine Year Plan. Mahvash had lived in Germany for eleven years and speaks fluent German. This, with her soul-uplifting Persian charm, makes her a most effective Bahá’í teacher.

It became imperative to devote myself full-time to our teaching efforts, so I left my hole under the rafters.

For the first few days we had no German pamphlets or declaration cards, so we were forced to do most of our teaching by word of mouth. When the pamphlets and declaration cards came we really went to work. That afternoon we were guided by Providence to the street most frequented by the Borkum youth. That is where we met Ihno Oetjen. He invited us to the “milchbar” on the same street, but milk was not the only thing served there, as beer and wine flowed continuously. We wondered what we were getting into as it seemed rather an unlikely place, but we were aware that Bahá’ís are to be found in every strata of society. Eventually we had seven or eight people crowded around our table for four. Several Catholic girls wanted to declare but they were under fifteen, but by the end of this session we had four declarations! They were Ihno, his friend Derk and Derk’s brother, and an adult!

Philip Snyder and Mrs. Mahvash Master Saffar on the ferry

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The next few days were used for concentrated deepening with the new Bahá’ís in my apartment. In between, all of us sang. The new Bahá’ís were reading Bahá’í books and wearing the Bahá’í ring, and buttons. Ihno was certain he had heard the name of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before, but he couldn’t remember where. Mahvash and I told him of our dreams of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and suggested this feeling of familiarity could have come from the world of the dream.

Ihno’s father is a master tailor, and Mahvash just happened to have a pair of slacks which needed shortening, so we met Mr. and Mrs. Oetjen. Ihno’s mother thanked Mahvash over and over for bringing him into the Faith. Derk reported that his mother asked “What has happened in the last three days? You have changed so much!” She was told that they were now Bahá’ís.

On our last night on the island the group went to the Schaal home. Mrs. Schaal declared that night, after being married to a Bahá’í for seven years! Directly before signing her card, she asked her husband to assist her in all the necessary formalities in Germany for leaving the Church. She made the ninth of the declarations during our efforts, and sang Bahá’í songs with us all evening. Mahvash’s stay lasted a symbolic nine days, while mine lasted nineteen.

—Philip C. Snyder

[Page 19]

Proclamation USA

Responding to the request of The Universal House of Justice for Assemblies to hold month-long proclamation activities from April 21 through May 23 this year, many have reported their efforts in news letters. The summary given below is not exhaustive. Some efforts were quite extensive, others very simple and easy to carry out.

Public Meetings, Firesides, Picnics, etc.

Most communities planned a definite series of meetings or firesides and devised methods of inviting people. The New York Spiritual Assembly arranged a public meeting for each day of the proclamation month. In Vestal, New York, Bahá’ís planned a series of five meetings at the auditorium. During the day, Bahá’ís showed slides, served refreshments and gave out literature. In the evenings there were speakers, and one day was devoted to a film festival.

The Northampton, Maine, Assembly planned to reach the following groups: civic leaders, Spanish-speakers, the well-to-do, student and non-student youth. A children’s film festival was held at the public library, and a public meeting at the YMCA. All the women’s clubs and associations in town received invitations to a coffee and panel discussion on the topic of “The Role of Women in Today’s Society.” All the Puerto Rican families in town were invited to a potluck picnic where a wide variety of both Spanish and American dishes were served, accompanied by live music. Afterwards there were games, the New England Road Show “Dawning” and an informal fireside.

At Hamilton, Massachusetts, public meetings were held on three Friday evenings during May, with outstanding speakers scheduled. Each family in town received an invitation; good coverage in local newspapers was secured; many beautiful posters were displayed and radio announcements made. After each meeting, those who attended were personally invited to nearby Bahá’í homes for refreshments where questions and answers freely flowed.

In Roy, Washington, the Pierce County Commissioners’ District #2 held a proclamation on April 28-29,

The Santa Monica, California, Bahá’ís presented an information table on the Mall. The artistic display not only attracted many interested people but resulted in the declaration of Karl W. Brock (center). Sharon Sanchez is at the left and Leona Wallace, right.

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sending invitations to bordering areas for a Bahá’í film and talk on “Progressive Revelation.” Among those attending was a Congregational minister, who, during a question and answer period, extended an invitation to his church the next day. At this service a prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was read and the congregation was invited to the showing of the Bahá’í film that evening. In addition to this cordial reception, a Bahá’í speaker was invited to the church for a later date.

In Fort Collins, Colorado, a reception was arranged for the clergy. A public meeting in Spokane, Washington, was held in a Japanese church, consisting of a slide show made by a pilgrim just-returned from the Holy Land.

The Bahá’í Association at the University of Texas, at Austin, presented a panel discussion, a musical fireside featuring “The Children of the New Light”, and an outdoor musical featuring a Bahá’í family team, “The Threadgills.” A mid-day chime concert from the main building tower played Bahá’í music.

Mass teaching by the group in La Habra, California, was assisted by a young Bahá’í from Brazil. In one of the homes they were invited to visit at any time, so that evening they showed a film and later brought Spanish literature. The group succeeded in renting a building in the shopping center one night a week for meetings, advertised in the local paper.

In Little Rock, Arkansas, during the proclamation month, on every Monday night community members met at the Center, divided into small groups and went out to visit other friends who had enrolled during extensive teaching, to assist in deepening and teaching other family members, also to announce coming meetings.

[Page 20] In the Calexico-Mexicali (California-Mexico) area, Bahá’ís of Desert J.D., El Centro, San Diego and Palm Springs, California, assisted in teaching, culminating with the week of April 16-21. Mrs. Femaline Dunbar of Panama, now living in Cathedral City, California with her husband David, is shown explaining the principles of electing the Local Spiritual Assembly before the election of the Mexicali, Mexico, Spiritual Assembly, which took place that evening.

(from preceding page)

Every Wednesday and Friday nights, public meetings were held, each beginning with a film and continuing with discussion. Publicity mail-outs to all news media included, along with the Nine Year Plan victories and The AMERICAN BAHA’I May issue, the local tie-in of the establishment of the first Bahá’í Assembly in Little Rock.

Talks, in many cases, were arranged before non-Bahá’í audiences. In Denver, Colorado, Carolyn Wong spoke before the Optimist Club while Elaine West and Jim Stallings talked to the Northglen High School classes about the Faith. Elaine had spoken to several other high school classes in the past month, and was always received enthusiastically with many questions asked. Seymour Weinberg spoke at the Iliff School of Theology with good response and also gave a radio talk for fifteen minutes.

In the Greater Melbourne area, Florida, a presentation on the Faith was made to the World Religion class of Father Jack Mahoney at the Florida Institute of Technology. The Bruss family in New Mexico, just returned from a pioneering post, talked to a high school humanities class, which was extended from an hour to two and a half hours and because of high interest, they were asked to show their beautiful slides again to the afternoon class.

In some locations meetings were planned as “something to hang ads on, and news releases were printed mostly because of the ads.” This was the case in Broome County, New York, where a series of five meetings were held, advertised with large paid ads in four newspapers, and three published news releases. In addition there were radio and television announcements and posters.

As a result of cooperation of all Maine communities, Bangor, Maine, carried out a concentrated week-long teaching and publicity campaign which began with a three-fourths page newspaper ad (85,000 circulation) and in another paper, a full-page version. This was most attractive, featuring a sun in the right hand corner from which rays emanated, interspersed with quotations from Bahá’u’lláh announcing His Coming.

Fairs, Fiestas and Displays

As a last-minute teaching effort before the end of the Nine Year Plan, the Santa Monica, California, community manned an information table on the mall which attracted many people. Englewood and Denver, Colorado, cooperated in rotating hours for answering questions and offering information to seekers at the Cinderella City Shopping Center on May 20. A special treat for the children was a gift of balloons.

Boone and Tioga Counties, New York, held a most successful display at a flea market from a VW bus with a huge sign on top. Outside there was a table with pamphlets and inside, a book display. At a Farmington, New Mexico shopping center a booth was used each Saturday of the month to give out literature and show a film strip.

The Bahá’í Club at the New Mexico State University, San Juan campus took an active part in the Apple Blossom Festival with a booth display. The pre-Bahá’ís (two-thirds of the members) were very active in making plans and carrying them out. At Fort Collins, Colorado, the University Bahá’í Association was given an office at the Student Center (never before to a religious organization). Their display case contained plants and quotations about the spiritual springtime and attracted favorable attention. They also had a display table in a flea market for a week.

South DeKalb County, Georgia, Bahá’ís manned an

[Page 21] attractive booth in a modern shopping mall for two week-ends where every type of people was reached and about 400 pamphlets given out during conversations with inquirers. The central feature was a revolving model of the House of Worship, draped in green velvet. Theme for the second display was “Bahá’ís Around the World.” Newspaper space totaled 60 inches. One front page article featured a photo of the Public Information Representative. One editor became so interested she requested more information and then attended a devotional meeting (after expressing her desire to do so).

To establish friendship with Indians was a main purpose of the Mini Exposition held in Southern Nevada the week-end of May 12. Zona Murdock traveled to several reservations to collect Indian arts and crafts. Mary Jane from Arizona gave a demonstration of Navajo rug making. David Via Senor from California displayed his sand paintings and later compared the Indian philosophies to the Bahá’í Faith. Hospitality extended to Indian guests will not be forgotten. The Bahá’í exhibits deepened interest in the Faith, according to reports, especially from University of Nevada students.

In addition to their meetings, the Bahá’í Association at the University of Texas, Austin, had two showcases; one developed the theme of progressive revelation with quotations and showed the Holy Book from which they were taken; the second was for the Spanish Department and consisted of pictures of Bahá’í Houses of Worship and Bahá’í quotations in both Spanish and English.

Spokane, Washington, Bahá’ís arranged for a month-long display in the city transit system busses. The La Habre, California, group, in addition to placing nearly 100 posters in the town, personally distributed several thousand postcards, both of which brought a warm response. At Newhall, California, hundreds of people saw the mobile information unit, out for ten days (five weekends) visiting thirteen localities.

Some of the La Habra, California, group. Elizabeth Clark holds the drawing of the Temple. (She has been active for the Faith since 1914). Seated, at right, Julie Hathaway. Standing, left: Amydale Junior from Anaheim, Jim Clark, Chairman, and Gene Ingham. Shown is a sample of the card distributed to thousands, in both English and Spanish. On the reverse side is an invitation to a meeting. The original drawing is from The Spirit Way by Dolores Taken-Alive.

Booth used by Bahá’ís of South DeKalb, Georgia.

Representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Little Rock present the City Manager of Little Rock, Jack Merriweather (second from right) with Bahá’í book during month-long proclamation activities. The representatives are, left to right, Art Hatley, Beulah Magruder, Homer Holmes (member of first Bahá’í Assembly in Little Rock thirty years ago) and Albert Porter, current Assembly Chairman.

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Radio and Television

In Bangor, Maine, Sherry Milden of Portsmouth, New Hampshire appeared on three television interviews and two radio programs. She conducted two firesides which resulted in declarations; one saw the newspaper publicity and traveled over 100 miles to attend.

Speakers representing five Maine communities and one from New Hampshire were presented on a half-hour television program on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. This program was prepared by the Bahá’ís, assisted by television personnel, and it was taped for possible future use.

Spokane, Washington, coordinated a plan by which forty-one Assemblies arranged a series of paid TV spot announcements on a prominent station, heard in four states and Canada. In Orlando, Florida, a fifteen minute radio interview was presented from which five-minute excerpts were used for the next week, two or three times each day. Also, a Bahá’í was asked by a TV station to

[Page 22] begin and end their programs with two-minute talks on the Faith from May 19 through May 25. In Aurora, Colorado, Cheryl Gates was called by a radio station for a statement on the religious trend today, which was included with those of clergymen on a Sunday morning program. At Farmington, New Mexico, on a TV presentation some interesting questions were asked; for example: “What is this universal election coming up?” In Little Rock, Arkansas, on a TV interview on the CBS outlet, a series of questions were asked of the Assembly representative, beginning directly with the station of Bahá’u’lláh, which brought wide-spread response. An hour-long radio interview featured the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Assembly discussing all aspects of the Faith and answering questions from the audience.

In Western Washington, two television programs were shown; one on the black-oriented program “Contact.” In Mobile, Alabama, a TV program appeared, also a radio interview where questions were phoned in and participants were kept on the air for one and a half hours. One interested caller was a relative of Paul Kingsley Dealy, Bahá’í resident in the area during the time of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. As a result of publicity, a young serviceman of Pensacola, Florida, drove all the way to Mobile to attend meetings.

Toppenish and Wapato, Washington, now have a weekly, half-hour radio program which is to run for a year. In St. Petersburg, Florida, a regular half-hour radio program called “World Oneness” began on May 27 and is to run indefinitely. Bahá’ís were invited to produce such a show after a radio interview in January. It is produced by Bahá’ís with Linda Brown in charge. “Talented Singers” volunteered to record their songs and many Bahá’ís will appear in the series.

Presentations

Middlesboro, Kentucky, presented The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh to the Mayor and Prescription for Living to the local library. More than fifty copies of the special edition of THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í were presented to the public and high school library, President of the University, teachers, pastors and editors.

In Binghamton, New York, the presentation of the proclamation volume to the Mayor was just before the daily news conference which was turned over to the Bahá’ís. This led to a fifteen-minute radio interview immediately, then another interview was taped for later use during an evening news program. A third invitation came to make a series of five-minute TV interviews!

The group of Bahá’ís at La Habra, California, made extensive book presentations. Every city government official (twelve or so), all members of the school board of trustees, school administration officials and two high school principals were sent a copy of Gloria Faizi’s book, a fact sheet and a personal covering letter. These were also sent to the pastor of each of the twenty-six churches of the city. One book only was returned. As the second phase to the pastors, the proclamation volume was personally presented to around twelve of them, who warmly received it, especially a Catholic priest.

Three law-enforcement kits were presented in the New Mexico communities. San Juan County Bahá’ís presented a kit to the state police, and one was received by the Chief of Police in Farmington, also in Aztec, where the Chief of Police was grateful and spoke to the Bahá’ís for over an hour on local problems in relation to how Bahá’í ideals and principles could be applied. Fort Collins, Colorado, reported taking Bahá’í books to firehouses for their libraries.

In Orlando, Florida, two Bahá’í youths presented the public library with a record album “Diamond Girl” by Seals and Crofts, popular Bahá’í musicians who often invite their audiences to a fireside afterward. The library was delighted with the gift. The community of Northampton, Maine, presented two cherry trees to the city which were planted in a park in the downtown area.

Essay Contests

Englewood, California, sponsored an essay contest for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students on the topic “The Oneness of Mankind” with awards to be presented on “Race Unity Day.”

In Orlando, Florida, Bahá’ís offered a $25.00 U.S. bond to the writer of the best essay on Brotherhood in a senior class of a high school which is predominantly black. This was presented on May 24, their awards day.

Outstanding Observances

Denver, Colorado, probably planned the most unique observation of the special month, that of a “Unity Ring”. The lake at Washington Park covers possibly the area of two city blocks, and the plan was to attract 10,000 people to hold hands around the lake on a Sunday afternoon. A very long banner was made giving sayings from all religions about the unity of mankind and decorated with pictures of various peoples of the world, used on the occasion. At a preliminary press conference called by the Denver community, representatives of the mass media were enthusiastic. Four radio interviews resulted. Herb Laughlin flew over from Salt Lake City to assist. Publicity and posters were utilized to the fullest.

On the first day selected a downpour caused the event to be postponed, but it was held successfully on May 27. There was TV and newspaper coverage with a photo.

The area of Greater Atlanta, Georgia, presented possibly the most far-reaching effort for the month, with financial assistance from the Assemblies of Atlanta, Cobb, South Cobb, North DeKalb, Athens, Clarke County, Lawrenceville and Conyers. The committee had made plans but they were not opening up very well when a late-comer to the committee, Mrs. Ruth Perrin, consulted her employers, an advertising firm, and secured their enthusiastic support. With the direction of professionals, a plan for 30-second radio spot announcements for seven stations, (total 73 spots), appealing to all types of people was carefully coordinated with a series of paid newspaper ads. When the copywriter was provided with some literature, he was intrigued and designed an ad which would interest “the searchers, the lost, those who have lost faith in their own religion ...” The resulting lines “Get some of that old time religion”, illustrated with a figure of Buddha impelled people to read the rest.

The Mayor of Atlanta proclaimed May 16 as “Bahá’í Day”. News items totaled 60 column inches. Books were presented to public libraries. There were radio programs and a public meeting with invitations to churches. A series of area firesides was announced. The effort was to reach as many people as possible at as reasonable a cost as possible. By June 16, replies to the ad totaled 47. It is estimated that a million, three hundred thousand people heard of the Faith for the first time!

The end

[Page 23]

Breakwell of England

(from page five)

Seine on the top of a bus, when he spied an old woman laboriously pushing an apple-cart up an incline; excusing himself with a smile, he climbed down off the bus, joined the old woman, and in the most natural way put his hands on the bar and helped her over the bridge.”¹⁸

Physically frail, he was soon stricken with an illness that developed into serious consumption. Although often in great pain, he in no way relaxed in his passionate efforts to serve the Cause throughout the dark city of Paris.

In his last letter Breakwell wrote, “Suffering is a heady wine; I am prepared to receive that bounty which is the greatest of all; torments of the flesh have enabled me to draw much nearer to my Lord. All agony notwithstanding, I wish life to endure longer, so that I may taste more pain. That which I desire is the good-pleasure of my Lord; mention me in His presence.”²¹ A few days after Yunis Khan had received this letter Breakwell died. The Master seemed to know this without receiving a message known to anyone.

Deeply grieved, the Master wrote a prayer of visitation for him and asked Yunis Khan to “translate it well so that whoever reads it will weep.”²²

O Breakwell, my beloved! Where is thy beautiful countenance and where is thy eloquent tongue? Where is thy radiant brow and where is thy brilliant face?

O Breakwell, my beloved! Where is thy enkindlement with the fire of the love of God and where is thy attraction to the Fragrances of God? Where is thy utterance for the glorification of God and where is thy rising in the service of God?

O my dear, O Breakwell! Where are thy bright eyes and where are thy smiling lips? Where are thy gentle cheeks and where is thy graceful stature?

O my dear, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast abandoned this transitory world and soared upward to the Kingdom, hast attained to the grace of the Invisible Realm and sacrificed thyself to the Threshold of the Lord of Might!

O my adored one, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast left behind this physical lamp, this human glass, these earthly elements and this worldly enjoyment!

O my adored one, O Breakwell! Then thou hast ignited a light in the glass of the Supreme Concourse, hast entered the Paradise of Abhá, art protected under the shade of the Blessed Tree and hast attained to the meeting (of the True One) in the Abode of Paradise!

O my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Thou hast been a divine bird and forsaking thy earthly nest, thou hast soared towards the holy rose-garden of the Divine Kingdom and obtained a luminous station there!

O my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thou art like unto the birds, chanting the verses of thy Lord, the Forgiving, for thou wert a thankful servant; therefore thou hast entered (into the realm beyond) with joy and happiness!

O my beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thy Lord hath chosen thee for His love, guided thee to the court of His Holiness, caused thee to enter into the Riḍván of His Association and granted thee to behold His Beauty!

O my beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thou hast attained to the eternal life, never-ending bounty, beatific bliss and immeasurable providence!

O my beloved, O Breakwell! Thou hast become a star in the most exalted horizon, a lamp among the angels of heaven, a living spirit in the Supreme World and art established upon the throne of immortality!

O my adored one, O Breakwell! I supplicate God to increase thy nearness and communication, to make thee enjoy thy prosperity and union (with Him), to add to thy light and beauty and to bestow upon thee glory and majesty!

O my adored one, O Breakwell! I mention thy name continually, I never forget thee, I pray for thee day and night and I see thee clearly and manifestly, O my adored one, O Breakwell!

With his unerring knowledge the Guardian called “Thomas Breakwell the first English believer”²⁵ and “a luminary in the Cause of God.”²⁶

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Board Counsellors expanded

(from page five)

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10. North-eastern Asia
    All the Soviet Union east of the western boundary of the Yakutsk A.S.S.R. and the Oblast of Amur, China east of Sinkiang and north of the southern boundaries of Tsinghai, Kansu, Shensi, Honan and Shantung; Korea, Japan, Taiwan and all islands belonging politically to those nations plus all islands in the Pacific Ocean north of the equator and between the longitudes of 140° east and 140° west with the exception of the Gilbert Islands and those islands under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, but including those Caroline Islands lying west of longitude 140° east.
11. Australasia
    Australia and New Zealand plus all islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans lying south of the equator and between the longitudes of 80° east and 120° west including Portuguese Timor and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands but excepting Indonesia.
12. Europe
    The entire continent of Europe less those portions of Kazakhstan and Turkey which lie in Europe, plus Iceland and all islands in the Atlantic Ocean north of latitude 60° north which belong politically to nations of the European continent plus all islands in the Atlantic Ocean east of longitude 40° west and between latitude 60° north and the Tropic of Cancer plus all islands of the Mediterranean Sea including Cyprus but excluding islands belonging politically to nations of the African and Asiatic continents. [Page 24]

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