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No. 517

BAHA’I YEAR 131

APRIL, 1974

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Five Year Plan released to Bahá’í world, Page 1

Service in the House of ‘Abbúd, Page 8

Samoan monarch visits New Zealand, Page 6

[Page 0] page four

page eight

page seventeen

CONTENTS

Messages from The Universal House of Justice	1
Around the World	4
Service in the House of ‘Abbúd	8
Howard MacNutt: an immortal name	17

COVER PHOTO

Bahá’ís attending the 65th National Bahá’í Convention in Wilmette; (from left to right) Mr. Larry A. Gooden, Mr. Franklin Kahn, Mr. Dan Yazzie, Ms. Mary Jackson, the Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney, Ms. Littlebrave Beaston, and (in front) Mr. Vance Thompson.

PHOTO AND DRAWING CREDITS

Cover: Mark Tanny; Inside cover: Mark Tanny; Mrs. James W. Zamzow; Page 5: M. Mahmoudi; Page 8: Mr. and Mrs. David Jurney; pages 11, 12, 14, 15: Mrs. James W. Zamzow; Page 16: M. Mahmoudi; Page 17: National Bahá’í Archives; Page 18: Al Burley; Page 21 Bahá’í World.

CORRECTIONS

The photographs on pages 6 and 9 of the March BAHÁ’Í NEWS were incorrectly credited to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Washington, D.C. They were printed courtesy of the National Bahá’í Archives. We regret the error.

POSTAL INFORMATION

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.

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.

[Page 1]

Messages from The Universal House of Justice

Five Year Plan released

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly-loved Friends,

A span of eighteen years separates us from the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Ascension and the unveiling of His Almighty Covenant. The fortunes of humanity in that period no man can foretell. We can, however, confidently predict that the Cause of God, impelled by the mighty forces of life within it, must go on from strength to strength, increasing in size and developing greater and greater powers for the accomplishment of God’s purpose on earth.

The abundant evidences of Divine confirmation which have rewarded the strenuous and dedicated efforts of the Bahá’í community during the past decade are apparent throughout the earth and give incontrovertible assurance of its capacity to win the good pleasure of Bahá’u’lláh and answer every call made upon it in His service.

The Five Year Plan to which this community is now summoned is the opening campaign of these critical years. It is the third global plan embarked upon by the Army of Light in its implementation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Plan, that world-encompassing programme disclosed in His perspicuous Tablets and described by the Guardian of the Cause of God as the Charter for the propagation of the Faith throughout the world. It was the Guardian himself, the beloved “sign of God”, who, through his exposition and interpretation of the Revelation, through his discipline and education of the Bahá’í community and through a series of national plans assigned to the various units of that community, forged the Administrative Order of the Faith and made it an instrument for the carrying out of this great Charter, and he himself designed and launched the first global plan, the unique, brilliant and spiritually glorious Ten Year Crusade. The victories of that crusade implanted the banner of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the planet and the following Nine Year Plan reinforced and extended the bastions of the Faith and raised the number of National Spiritual Assemblies—the supporting pillars of the Universal House of Justice—to one hundred and thirteen, a number increased to one hundred and fifteen by the formation at this Riḍván of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Hong Kong and South East Arabia.

This Five Year Plan has three major objectives: preservation and consolidation of the victories won; a vast and widespread expansion of the Bahá’í community; development of the distinctive character of Bahá’í life particularly in the local communities. The achievement of these overall aims requires the accomplishment of particular tasks at the World Centre of the Faith, and by national and local communities.

At the World Centre work will continue on the collation and classification of the Sacred Texts; authorized translations of three compilations of Scripture will be made and published, namely, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, prayers and extracts from the Writings of the Báb, greatly augmenting the fragments of His Utterance now available in the West, and of the Master’s works comprising a wide selection from the vast range of subjects illumined by His Divine wisdom; construction will begin on the building on Mount Carmel to serve as the seat of the Universal House of Justice and it is hoped to complete it during the Five Year Plan; further extension and beautification of the gardens and lands surrounding the Holy Places will take place; strengthening of the relationship between the Bahá’í International Community and the United Nations will continue; and efforts will be constantly made to protect the Faith from persecution and to free it from the restraints imposed by religious orthodoxy.

In the international sphere the erection of two Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs—one in India and one in Samoa—will be initiated; eight International Teaching Conferences will be held during the middle part of the Five Year Plan; two for the Arctic, one in Anchorage and one in Helsinki during July 1976, one in Paris in August 1976, one in Nairobi in October 1976, one in Hong Kong in November 1976, one in Auckland and one in Bahia, Brazil in January 1977 and one in Merida, Mexico in February 1977.

Sixteen new National Spiritual Assemblies will be formed, namely the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahamas, Burundi, Cyprus, the French Antilles, Greece, Jordan, Mali, Mauritania, the New Hebrides, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia,

[Page 2] Suriname and French Guiana, Togo, and Upper Volta; their national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, Temple sites, and endowments must be acquired; the dissemination of news and messages, so vital to the knowledge, encouragement, and unity of the Bahá’í community, must be made efficient and rapid, and in anticipation of a vast expansion in the number of believers, of Local Spiritual Assemblies and of localities where Bahá’ís reside a coordinated programme of translating and publishing Bahá’í literature with the eventual aim of providing the Sacred Text and the teachings of the Faith to all mankind is to be developed—a programme which will include the founding of six Bahá’í Publishing Trusts and the continued subvention of Bahá’í literature, 409 inter-Assembly assistance projects are scheduled and, at the outset of the Plan, 557 pioneers are called for.

One of the distinguishing features of the Cause of God is its principle of non-acceptance of financial contributions for its own purposes from non-Bahá’ís; support of the Bahá’í Fund is a bounty reserved by Bahá’u’lláh to His declared followers. This bounty imposes full responsibility for the financial support of the Faith on the believers alone, every one of whom is called upon to do his utmost to ensure that the constant and liberal outpouring of means is maintained and increased to meet the growing needs of the Cause. Many Bahá’í communities are at present dependent on outside help, and for them the aim must be to become self-supporting, confident that the Generous Lord will, as their efforts increase, eventually enable them to offer for the progress of His Faith material wealth as well as their devotion, their energy and love.

The proclamation of the Faith, following established plans and aiming to use on an increasing scale the facilities of mass communication must be vigorously pursued. It should be remembered that the purpose of proclamation is to make known to all mankind the fact and general aim of the new Revelation, while teaching programmes should be planned to confirm individuals from every stratum of society.

The vast reservoir of spiritual energy, zeal, and idealism resident in Bahá’í youth, which so effectively contributed to the success of the Nine Year Plan, must be directed and lavishly spent for the proclamation, teaching, and consolidation of the Cause. Spiritual Assemblies are urged to provide consultation and the offer of guidance to Bahá’í youth who seek to plan their lives in such a way as to be of utmost service to the Cause of God.

The education of children in the teachings of the Faith must be regarded as an essential obligation of every Bahá’í parent, every local and national community and it must become a firmly-established Bahá’í activity during the course of this Plan. It should include moral instruction by word and example and active participation by children in Bahá’í community life.

This Five Year Plan must witness the development in the world-wide Bahá’í community of distinctive Bahá’í characteristics implanted in it by Bahá’u’lláh Himself. Unity of mankind is the pivotal principle of His Revelation; Bahá’í communities must therefore become renowned for their demonstration of this unity. In a world becoming daily more divided by factionalism and group interests, the Bahá’í community must be distinguished by the concord and harmony of its relationships. The coming of age of the human race must be foreshadowed by the mature, responsible understanding of human problems and the wise administration of their affairs by these same Bahá’í communities. The practice and development of such Bahá’í characteristics are the responsibility alike of individual Bahá’ís and the administrative institutions, although the greatest opportunity to foster their growth rests with the Local Spiritual Assemblies.

The divinely ordained institution of the Local Spiritual Assembly operates at the first levels of human society and is the basic administrative unit of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order. It is concerned with individuals and families whom it must constantly encourage to unite in a distinctive Bahá’í society, vitalized and guarded by the laws, ordinances, and principles of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. It protects the Cause of God; it acts as the loving shepherd of the Bahá’í flock.

Strengthening and development of Local Spiritual Assemblies is a vital objective of the Five Year Plan. Success in this one goal will greatly enrich the quality of Bahá’í life, will heighten the capacity of the Faith to deal with entry by troops which is even now taking place and, above all, will demonstrate the solidarity and ever-growing distinctiveness of the Bahá’í community, thereby attracting more and more thoughtful souls to the Faith and offering a refuge to the leaderless and hapless millions of the spiritually bankrupt, moribund present order.

“These Spiritual Assemblies,” wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “are aided by the Spirit of God. Their defender is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Over them He spreadeth His Wings. What bounty is there greater than this?” Likewise, “These Spiritual Assemblies are shining lamps and heavenly gardens, from which the fragrances of holiness are diffused over all regions, and the lights of knowledge are spread abroad over all created things. From them the spirit of life streameth in every direction. They, indeed, are the potent sources of the progress of man, at all times and under all conditions.”

During the Five Year Plan Local Spiritual Assemblies which are being formed for the first time, are to be formed whenever there are nine or more adult believers in the relevant area; thereafter they must be elected or declared at Riḍván. National Spiritual Assemblies are called upon to assign, and encourage the Local Spiritual Assemblies to adopt, goals within the overall framework of the Five Year Plan, to consult with them and to assist them to make great efforts to gradually assume their proper function and responsibilities in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. The friends are called upon to give their whole-hearted support and cooperation to the Local Spiritual Assembly, first by voting for the membership and then by energetically pursuing its plans and programmes, by turning to it in time of trouble or difficulty, by praying for its success and taking delight in its rise to influence and honour. This great prize, this gift of God within each community must be cherished, nurtured, loved, assisted, obeyed and prayed for.

Such a firmly-founded, busy and happy community life as is envisioned when Local Spiritual Assemblies are truly effective, will provide a firm home foundation from which the friends may derive courage and

[Page 3] strength and loving support in bearing the Divine Message to their fellow-men and conforming their lives to its benevolent rule.

The deeds and programmes, all these multifarious world-wide activities to which you are summoned have but one aim—the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth. At every stage of this process and at all levels of Bahá’í responsibility, whether individual, local or national, you will be encouraged, advised, and assisted by the divinely ordained institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, an institution powerfully reinforced by the successful establishment of the International Teaching Centre. Through the emergence of this Centre, the seal has been set on the accomplishment of the goal, announced nearly ten years ago, of ensuring the extension into the future of the specific functions of protection and propagation conferred upon the Hands of the Cause in the Sacred Text. Through the work of the International Teaching Centre, which supervises and coordinates the work of the Boards of Counsellors around the world, the love, the guidance, the assistance of the Hands, through the Boards of Counsellors, their Auxiliary Board members, and their assistants, permeates the entire structure of Bahá’í society.

The Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic world commonwealth have indeed assured to that growing community, the care for its welfare, for the development of its character, for its spiritual encouragement which are among the duties of their high office.

As the old order gives way to the new, the changes which must take place in human affairs are such as to stagger the imagination. This is the opportunity for the hosts of the Lord. Undismayed and undeterred by the wreckage of “long-cherished ideals and time-honoured institutions”, now being “swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines”, the world community of Bahá’ís must surge forward eagerly, and with ever-increasing energy, to build those new, God-given institutions from which will be diffused the light of the holy principles and teachings sent down by God in this day for the salvation of all mankind.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

Naw-Rúz 1974

Charles Mason Remey dies

CHARLES MASON REMEY WHOSE ARROGANT ATTEMPT USURP GUARDIANSHIP AFTER PASSING SHOGHI EFFENDI LED TO HIS EXPULSION FROM RANKS FAITHFUL HAS DIED IN FLORENCE ITALY IN HUNDREDTH YEAR OF HIS LIFE BURIED WITHOUT RELIGIOUS RITES ABANDONED BY ERSTWHILE FOLLOWERS. HISTORY PITIABLE DEFECTION BY ONE WHO HAD RECEIVED GREAT HONORS FROM BOTH MASTER AND GUARDIAN CONSTITUTES YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE FUTILITY ALL ATTEMPTS UNDERMINE IMPREGNABLE COVENANT CAUSE BAHÁ’U’LLÁH.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

April 8, 1974

Architects sought

The Universal House of Justice will soon be considering the selection of architects for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs to be erected in India and Samoa.

Those wishing to be considered as architects for either of these Temples are invited to submit statements of their qualifications. Such submissions may include examples of work previously designed and/or executed and, if desired, any thoughts or concepts of proposed designs for the Temples may be expressed in whatever way the applicant chooses.

The design of each Temple will be developed by the architect selected in relation to the climate, environment, and culture of the area where it is to be built.

The initiation of construction of those Temples is a goal of the current Five Year Plan, and consequently those interested should forward their submissions at an early date to the Universal House of Justice, Bahá’í World Centre, P. O. Box 155, Haifa 31-000, Israel.

[Page 4]

Around the World

Paul Haney

United States:

Paul Haney visits Convention

THE HAND OF THE CAUSE OF GOD Paul Haney attended the 65th National Bahá’í Convention in Wilmette as the official representative of The Universal House of Justice and helped to launch the Five Year Plan in the United States.

Mr. Haney addressed the delegates on several occasions during the Convention, held from April 25-28. Before reading the Five Year Plan Messages from the House of Justice on Saturday, April 26, he provided some background information about their formulation, noting that the origins of the Plan went back to 1971 when The Universal House of Justice asked the Hands and Counsellors to submit their views about the needs, requirements, and opportunities that would develop during the next phase of Bahá’í expansion. Their recommendations were studied frequently during the subsequent development of the Plan, he said.

Intensive work began in September 1973, with the formation of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa. One of the functions of this new institution, of which all the Hands and three Counsellors are members, is to make recommendations to the House of Justice on global, regional, and national teaching plans.

Shortly after its formation, the Teaching Centre met in consultation with The Universal House of Justice for a full day at Bahjí, at which time guidelines toward formulating the Plan were discussed, Mr. Haney said.

“That bounty of meeting with The Universal House of Justice under those circumstances, of course, gave us a tremendous impetus in beginning the spade work on the Plan,” he said.

The Plan is more than the general statement of purpose embodied in the Naw-Rúz Message of the House of Justice, he added. It also includes 115 separate national plans, each tailored to the individual requirements of the communities for which they were formulated.

The preliminary recommendations of the International Teaching Centre were turned over to the House of Justice after months of work and brought by the Supreme Body into their “complete and unerring” final form, Mr. Haney said.

Puerto Rico:

First Bahá’í School

The first Bahá’í School in Puerto Rico was held during a week last December at the Girl Scout Camp in the hills outside of Añasco. Although the school was by no means centrally located, more than sixty persons from every section of the island attended and enthusiastically participated in activities between Dec. 24-30.

Chile: Bahá’í Pioneers spoke about the Faith at the only public school in Porvenir, Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost region of Chile, during a two-day visit in March. After the visit, two laminated photographs of Bahjí were donated to the school. In the photograph above, Rob Siegel, one of the pioneers, sings to the school children.

Also in attendance were Continental Counselor Paul Lucas and Auxiliary Board member for Puerto Rico, Mr. Felix Gomez.

All classes were given in both Spanish and English—some by bilingual teachers, some with the aid of

[Page 5] translators, and others in separate sections for each language. Counsellor Lucas gave daily classes on the Covenant and Administration with repeated emphasis on methods of consolidating inactive communities and local spiritual assemblies, daily self-examination, and the setting of realistic personal goals. Mr. Gomez gave daily classes on living the Bahá’í life. The Youth Committee for the island presented a five-class course on being a Bahá’í in a non-Bahá’í world. Other topics covered in classes included Radiant Acquiescence, Islam, History of the Bahá’í Faith, The Bahá’í Fund, Marriage, The Role of Women in the Bahá’í Faith, and a review of literature and materials available in the bookstore or by order.

Lengthy breaks were scheduled between classes for meals—which were as Puerto Rican in flavor as the pioneer cooks could make them—family activities, running errands out in the “Old World,” keeping the camp clean, and relaxing. Stimulating impromptu deepening sessions could be heard as volunteers washed dishes and cleaned the sleeping quarters and other areas.

Each evening, special activities, such as a slide program of the Holy Places in Iran and Israel, prayer sessions, and even a performance by a concert violinist, were held. Long after the children had gone to bed, one could still hear prayer groups and animated discussions of the day’s classes.

Belize:

Counsellors attend Institute

FOUR CONTINENTAL COUNSELLORS took part recently in a Bahá’í conference at the new teaching institute in the village of Blackman Eddy, in Belize. Two buses starting at different locations a good distance from Blackman Eddy picked up Bahá’ís at points along the way, depositing more than sixty of them at the institute for the day-long meeting on February 17. The institute, shown at right, is at the top of a hill, overlooking a river. Counselors for Central America Artemus Lamb, Carmen de Burafato, Rowland Estall, and Alfred Osborne made presentations during the day.

Central African Republic:

Radio Program attracts many

In March 1973, the Bahá’ís of the Central African Republic were granted permission by the Head of State to present a regular weekly radio program on the national broadcasting network, the only one in the country. This privilege had previously been granted to only three other religious groups. Since that time, more than 50 programs designed to serve the double function of teaching and consolidation have been broadcast. Although there is no way to accurately measure the public response to the broadcasts, there are indications that the impact has been far-reaching. One can often hear people singing or whistling ‘La foi Bahá’í le unit les gens,’ the theme song of the program, and more than 30 letters have been received from listeners—a significant fact when one realizes the difficulty of assembling the materials for a letter in these remote rural areas.

The broadcasts have brought many people into the Faith, directly and indirectly. More than 1,000 believers have enrolled in the past year, far more than any previous year. The program reaches all strata of society and greatly facilitates teaching, since almost everyone already has heard of the Faith and is favorably disposed toward it.

This sustained public proclamation also seems to have had an influence on the leaders of the Republic. In a speech broadcast to commemorate the birth of his son, the President of the country, who is a Catholic, stated that there is only one God and that He has spoken to man through different Messengers—Jesus, Muḥammad, Buddha, Moses, Abraham, “and many others whose names I’ve forgotten.” A letter from the National Spiritual Assembly to the Head of State congratulating him on the birth of his son was read repeatedly on the radio as part of daily news presentations. Since that talk was given, the Bahá’ís, along with other religious groups, have been invited to send representatives to two social/traditional gatherings at the Presidential Palace.

Spain:

Graciosa receives special visit

Although there have been Bahá’ís on the Canary Islands for 20 years, none had ever visited the little island of Graciosa, which has no telephone and postal service. The only means of communication is by radio or messages hand-carried by resident fishermen.

[Page 6] The Bahá’ís in the Canaries had sent invitations to all inhabitants in other remote islands, inviting them to subscribe to a correspondence course on the Bahá’í Faith. But because Graciosa had no postal service, invitations were not sent there. Consequently, the Bahá’ís decided that someone would have to go personally to visit Graciosa and give the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

A young Canadian residing in the Canaries, whose Spanish was still imperfect, and who had only a little money, determined to make the journey, putting his trust in God.

He inquired of a fisherman the cost of transport to Graciosa and learned that the one-way fare was 1,500 pesetas. The young man had only 300 pesetas with which to make the entire trip. A second fisherman who had offered to transport him for 500 pesetas agreed, upon learning of his mission, to charge only 250 pesetas.

Shortly after he landed on Graciosa, the youth circled the island on foot, quietly praying. The first day he could not find lodging, so he spent the night on the beach with a towel for a blanket.

The next morning he went to a small store to buy his breakfast. He found four young people there whom he had met at an earlier stage of the trip. It turned out they had gone to Graciosa as a community service team to see what could be done to help the people there. When they learned that the young Bahá’í had slept on the beach, getting thoroughly chilled in the process, they invited him to stay with them at a nearby home.

Soon the four young people learned about the Faith and read the literature he brought. They all spent the rest of their time on the island teaching the native people about the Cause. They said, “We came to plough, and you have come to plant!”

New Zealand:

Visit from Samoan ruler

New Zealand Bahá’ís were privileged to receive an audience with His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa, on February 21, in Auckland.

A bouquet of flowers was sent to the hotel to greet him on his arrival in Auckland on February 7. Two weeks later a delegation appointed by the National Assembly visited him there. Included in the delegation were Mr. Niu Tuataga, a Samoan member of the Auxiliary Board who served as translator, and Mr. Hawea Grant, a representative of the Maori race. In deference to the royal visitor, Mr. Grant wore a 200-year-old Maori cloak, an heirloom of his tribe which is worn only when in an audience with royalty. When not in use, the cloak is kept in the vaults of the Bank of New Zealand.

The National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand said that the Malietoa “demonstrated that quality of deep humility that is characteristic of true royalty and with unfailing graciousness and charm spoke to the friends about the Faith and its development, and expressed the hope that soon would be witnessed visible evidence of its establishment and triumph in the heart of the Pacific area.”

Denmark:

Summer School praised

Although we are exhorted to “let deeds, not words, be our adorning,” Bahá’ís often may not realize how they impress others as they go about their daily teaching and deepening activities. Here we have the rare opportunity to see through the eyes of a disinterested observer the Bahá’í Summer School sessions held in Lolland, Denmark, July 29—August 5, 1973. The following are excerpts from a report written by the director of the Lolland High School where the school was held. This report, reprinted with his permission (obtained by a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark), was distributed to over 1000 members of the School Union and to high schools throughout ‎Scandanavia Scandinavia‎.

The attendance at the Summer School was over 100, one of the largest ever hosted in Lolland. It taxed the available accommodations and so, since the weather was sunny and warm, about 75 people pitched their tents on the lawn. “A veritable tent city was built up... a multicolored, picturesque spectacle (such as this) made innumerable people on the street stop and stare at the open-air paradise where there were tents of every color, shape, and size... and guitar-playing and singing people from every nation [who spoke] a series of languages, from Lapp... to Hindi.

“I cannot say how many course participants we have had over the years we have been here since 1951—it does add up to several thousand... the Bahá’í community had the happiest, nicest, friendliest, and heartiest participants we have had in all the years. In eight whole days, we did not hear a single sharp exchange of views among the participants, no negative criticism at all and not so much as the slightest hint of anything one could call ‘gossip.’

“It had become a natural part of their being in confrontation with others to interpret and understand each other in the best way... I have never met such people as these Bahá’í adherents... who were so little absorbed in themselves and so much absorbed by the welfare of others. I was dazzled by that fact and have wondered about it over and over again since then. But I was not in a position to find out if it was owing to their religion or if it was a tradition of their gatherings that had been established over the years... I succeeded, however, in getting a kind of visible proof of the disconcerting form of assemblage of these people. I filmed them at random, not following any definite plan... because the multicolored tenting ground and the foreign-looking persons... appeared

[Page 7] to me to be good photographic subjects.

“Generally, in that kind of film, one has to shear out large quantities, namely all the sequences where people look into the camera, point, wave, and make signs because they are preoccupied with being filmed. But when I took the film home... I discovered it was not necessary to cut even a centimeter from it for that reason. No one was concerned with that film commotion, no one looked at the camera, no one was concerned with ‘I wonder how I look now?’ They were all engrossed in something else, namely each other, the children, the songs, the dramatics, and in general, with whatever they were occupying themselves...”

Canada:

Mass teaching in cities

A Canadian ethnic teaching team has recently been visiting cities in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, to launch proclamations designed to teach minority groups and explore new and creative methods of teaching Bahá’í children.

The Spiritual Assembly of Calgary, Alberta, reported that more than 90 new adherents to the Faith were enrolled as the teaching team carried out its objectives to enlist the help of every community member, to increase the size of the community by enrolling minorities, to develop materials and methods for children’s classes, and to train new believers to spearhead the work amongst their people in teaching the Faith and building the Bahá’í community.

Approximately 70 per cent of the community participated in the project, and although the Assembly had selected the Chinese, Slavic, and Canadian Indian minority groups as their points of focus, members of a wide variety of ethnic groups enrolled, including Chinese, German, Indian, and Eastern European. A number of youth enrolled as well.

Children’s classes were arranged, and a large percentage of the new believers began teaching their friends and relatives.

A side effect of the project was the coverage of Bahá’í activities in the news media. A well-known radio program devoted 55 minutes to the Faith, which was broadcast throughout southern Alberta. Bahá’ís appeared on cable television on four occasions, and a leading newspaper carried an article on the Faith.

The project had been launched in a most propitious atmosphere at an orientation meeting intended for Bahá’ís only. When the Bahá’ís gathered at the Indian Friendship Centre in Calgary, they found several Indians playing Canadian folk music. A quorum of the Spiritual Assembly met on the spot and decided to seize the opportunity to teach. The Bahá’ís proceeded with the social part of their program inviting the musicians to play. Following music, dancing, and a brief presentation by the Bahá’ís, nine of the new friends chose to embrace the Faith.

By April, the tour of the ethnic teaching team neared completion. The team coordinator, Mr. Poova Murday, said, “For years now I have been inclined to believe that mass teaching was only possible in remote villages, towns, and islands... after the four months of training on this project I have totally changed my mind on the subject. In the very near future, even in the most sophisticated cities, intelligent, well-laid plans for reaching the masses will meet with astounding success...”

Britain:

Teaching at Crafts Fair

A Meadow at the Medieval Fair in Barsham, Suffolk, recently provided a beautiful setting to teach the Faith in England. On one weekend alone, the crafts fair was visited by over thirty thousand people. Bahá’ís from various communities helped to man the small exhibit explaining the stations and Writings of the Central Figures of the Faith and displaying large, colorful photographs of the Holy Shrines. A comprehensive collection of books and pamphlets were displayed and purchased by inquirers, and in the evenings many people came to firesides around a campfire.

National Bahá’í Youth Conference held at Araluen, near Perth, Western Australia, January 13-18, 1974.

Australia:

Historic Youth gathering

Youth from all of Australia recently gathered in Araluen near Perth in Western Australia for the first national Bahá’í function ever held in that part of the continent. Almost fifty years ago another historic meeting took place in Araluen when Clara and Hyde Dunn met with Martha Root in 1925.

Counsellor Howard Harwood, Auxiliary Board members Margo Jackson and John Davidson met with youth from Malaysia, New Zealand, New Hebrides, and the United States, as well as Australian youth. All the states of Australia were represented among the one hundred participants at the conference.

A new awareness, maturity, and dedication were demonstrated by the youth as they studied and discussed their role in building the new world order. The participants agreed upon a threefold purpose for the conference: 1) to be spiritually rejuvenated and inspired by the fellowship and activities, 2) to make specific teaching plans and set deepening goals, and 3) to act.

A number of youth volunteered to travel teach in various states to help maintain goals and assist jeopardized assemblies. Following a discussion on “The Lifeblood of the Cause,” the conference participants set a youth fund goal. Another goal set was to bring the total number of youth to 2,000 by the next conference, planned for January 1975, including a sub-goal of 300 new youth by Riḍván 1974.

[Page 8]

Rafieh: “patient handmaiden of God” Service in the House of ‘Abbúd by Elizabeth McKenty

[Page 9] A bright light in High Point, North Carolina, has begun shining in another place. Mrs. Rafieh Mansour, 87-year-old granddaughter of one of the famed martyrs of the Heroic Age, ‘Abdu’l-Rasoul, and herself privileged to live in the Holy Land from 1889 to 1938, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Naw-Rúz, 131 B.E. Her death occurred on the very day she had previously mentioned as being the time she would wish to enter the next world. During the first three years of her stay in ‘Akká, she was many times permitted into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh and retained until her death clear recollections of those youthful experiences. Even her death became an instrument for teaching the Faith, as Bahá’ís and friends throughout the community gathered to pay tribute to her life at a memorial service on Saturday, March 23, in High Point.

It was on Thanksgiving weekend, 1973, that I had the privilege of a weekend visit with Mrs. Mansour. She lived with her daughter and her son-in-law, Vedad and David Jurney, and their children, Nabil and Riaz, in North Carolina. Mrs. Mansour left the Holy Land in 1938, at the instruction of the beloved Guardian, and lived in Iran before coming to America.

To see Mrs. Mansour in this last year of her life was to learn something of the power of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Time had reduced her physical self to small proportions; she had to walk very carefully with a cane, but her light-filled eyes, full of purpose and of love, belied her years.

Shortly after I arrived at her home I found Mrs. Mansour sitting in the living room. She hugged me with surprising strength, and, although several inches shorter than I, reached up and covered each cheek with kisses. “God has sent you! God has sent you!” she murmured. Later she explained that certain precious belongings, including a handkerchief of Bahá’u’lláh, were in her possession and she had been praying for someone to come and hand-deliver these to Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly. She said, “I do not want to trust them to the mail, and have prayed for someone to come and help me take care of this obligation.” In a small packet, enclosed in a lace and silk envelope, she sent this blessed handkerchief, a piece of the pillowcase of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, hair of the Greatest Holy Leaf, and other precious items which are now safely stored in the National Bahá’í Archives in Wilmette.

Seated side by side on a sofa, we entered, through her words, into a world of early Bahá’í history, of martyrdoms, of suffering, of deprivation, all clothed in the glory of certitude about the plan of God for this Day. Praise of Bahá’u’lláh was constantly on her lips and each memory would be interrupted with some interjection about the divine wisdom hidden in every situation. She was oblivious to her own self, unaware of the effect of her humble, glowing face as she spoke of the mysteries of God and the assistance surrounding His servants. Her brownish skin, creamy and beautiful, took on an added lustre when she spoke of the kindness of God and the wonder of her experiences with Bahá’ís. Her clear penetrating eyes probed to be sure her hearers were understanding her words, sometimes translated by her daughter and sometimes compressed into a few, eloquent sentences of English, which she spoke hesitantly but well.

My first question concerned her hands, at rest in her lap but laced with blue veins and showing the signs of years of work. “Have you sewn for members of the Holy Family?” After a long sigh, she said:

“That was sometimes permitted me. One day, I went to see the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. She was sewing His long abá. She asked me if I had time to work on it at the hemline. I straightened the hem and fixed it, with deepest pleasure. It was the last gown He wore before His ascension.”

Such were the moments that filled her memory. Her own marriage had been arranged by the Master, and the first three days after it took place, personal gifts to the couple arrived each day from Him. Her trousseau was largely the gift of the Greatest Holy Leaf. When her children were born, she was visited by the Greatest Holy Leaf and the wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as well as the other ladies of the Holy Household. Her daughter, Vedad, was born in the House of ‘Abbúd. Sometimes she would live for a week or two in the Master’s home when there was sewing to be done. On Holy Days, she would experience the observance in the presence of the Holy Family. At the end of her life, in High Point, North Carolina, these moments clothed her, making the frailties of old age insignificant in the presence of such gratitude and conviction.

As I tried to learn the details of her life, it was not her own life that stood foremost in her memory. Each event was linked to some happening at the World Centre or in the family of the Master. Even her birthday was unknown to her, except for the year, 1886. Speaking of her mother, Zekrieh, Mrs. Mansour said:

“My mother often told me that one day the Master said to her, ‘Zekrieh, there are so many people whose heart’s desire would be to serve in the house of Bahá’u’lláh, but I want to give this house (the House of ‘Abbúd) into your hands. I want your praise and thanks to reach the Shrine of the Báb (across the bay from ‘Akká to Haifa).’ ” Mrs. Mansour recalled: “My mother took care of that large House by herself. She had great energy. Her parents had been the first believers in Baghdad. They accepted the Faith in the days of Ṭáhirih and it was her grandfather who helped to escort Tahirih from Baghdad back to Iran.”

Mrs. Mansour spoke of an uncle, Muḥammad Ḥasan, who had served as a secretary to Bahá’u’lláh when He was in Adrianople. She reverently unfolded a large linen handkerchief which Bahá’u’lláh had one day given to him. This uncle had been sent back to Baghdad. When he had been living with his relatives at Mosul he had been promised by the Blessed Perfection that he would be invited to return in one váḥid (nineteen years). Such was his certitude that, although he suffered greatly when the Bahá’ís were expelled from Baghdad and sent in poverty to Mosul, he tended his small shop and planned for the nineteenth year. When that time arrived, he sold everything, put his affairs in order and remained silent when people questioned his actions.

One of Muḥammad Ḥasan’s nieces, Jamalieh, was at that time a servant in the Holy Household, in ‘Akká. On a Bahá’í Holy Day, she entered the presence

[Page 10] of the Blessed Perfection to pay Him respect. Mrs. Mansour recalled the events:

“While she was there, Bahá’u’lláh asked her to make a wish, since it was a Bahá’í Holy-Day, and He would grant it. My aunt bowed her head respectfully but could not answer. Two or three times she was invited by the Blessed Perfection to state her wish. In the meantime, the Greatest Holy Leaf arrived in the room. Jamalieh turned to her, saying: ‘What shall I say?’, and the Greatest Holy Leaf replied: ‘Why don’t you ask that your grandmother and uncles and family be permitted to come to ‘Akká?’ This Jamalieh did. Bahá’u’lláh immediately sent for His secretary and commanded: ‘Send a cable to the family of ‘Abdu’l-Rasoul, at Mosul, telling them they have permission to live in the Holy Land, at ‘Akká.’ ”

In this way, when Rafieh was three years old, her family had the joy of being invited to move to the Holy Land, exactly nineteen years after her uncle had been promised this reunion by Bahá’u’lláh.

At this point, I told Mrs. Mansour that she had chosen a beautiful family. Her eyes were lowered to the floor, and she replied: “I am nothing. I am the dust. It is the blessing and the bounty of Bahá’u’lláh and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”

The long journey from Mosul to ‘Akká, in carts for the overland route and in small boats for the sea passage, remained vivid in Rafieh’s memory. It was a three-month long trip by caravan, from Iraq, through Beirut and Damascus, to Palestine. Mrs. Mansour remembered it with pleasure to the very end of her life. “Everyone was happy,” she recalled. “I remember some things, like being lifted down from a cart to walk alongside the caravan. In one village, Mardindi, I sang a Turkish song. The people liked it; the song happened to be from their village. They smiled and threw flowers at me.” Rafieh also saw cane sugar hanging in the windows of shops as they passed through Damascus. When asked if she were tired or ill during this long trip, she said: “No, never. I was very happy. All my family were happy to be going to Bahá’u’lláh so the journey did not seem long.” At this point, in a clear voice, Mrs. Mansour sang a verse of the folksong.

Then she began recalling her first visit to Bahá’u’lláh: “My mother took me to the House of ‘Abbúd. The Bahá’í ladies entered the room, where my cousin was in charge of preparing the samovar for tea. Bahá’u’lláh was seated on the divan. The ladies sat, very respectfully, with their hands folded. Then Bahá’u’lláh inquired about the health of each member of the family. I do not remember what else He discussed, but I remember He asked about the health of each person. Tea was served, and before we left He gave us His blessing. No one spoke in His presence until He addressed them.” Then, very firmly, she said “You do not speak in the presence of Bahá’u’lláh unless He bids you to do so.” Even thinking of that moment, her body became more erect and her eyes flashed with the memory of it.

Mrs. Mansour recalled that on another occasion, which she believed to be a Holy Day, she accompanied her grandmother into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. They made the trip together to Bahjí and waited for a few moments in a room adjoining that of the Blessed Perfection. It was a large room, and a curtain was drawn across the entrance to the room of Bahá’u’lláh.

“We were waiting for Bahá’u’lláh to give permission for us to enter,” she remembered. “Suddenly the curtain was drawn back and Bahá’u’lláh Himself stood in the doorway. I remember the creamy color of His garment. He began asking about everyone, and looking at me, standing beside my grandmother, He said: ‘Does this child go to school?’ My grandmother answered that I was studying in a small class with a Bahá’í teacher, and this answer was accepted.”

I asked Mrs. Mansour whether she had ever written her memoirs. “Yes, I tried to tell these things in a small book, which I made copies of for my four children. I have one copy, but not in good handwriting, for the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.” (As a child, one of Mrs. Mansour’s teachers was the noted calligrapher, Mishkín-Qalam. Right up to her death, Mrs. Mansour’s handwriting remained beautiful. In her earlier years, it was considered outstanding Persian script. She added that she wished to make a better copy for the National Spiritual Assembly, but agreed to forward the one which was already prepared and it now is in the Archives in Wilmette. Mrs. Mansour sent a note with the volume, together with other precious gifts, and it was returned to her signed by all the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, assuring her that these will be preserved for the future.)

It was shortly after this meeting that Bahá’u’lláh became ill and ascended. When asked whether the Master chanted at the services for the Blessed Perfection, Mrs. Mansour said: “I do not remember. I remember that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made arrangements for the Shrine to be readied by the evening of the day of His passing. So many non-Bahá’ís, mullás, and officials came when they heard of the passing. For forty days, everyone mourned. Each day people would come to ‘Akká, to Bahjí, both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, and they would always be received by the Holy Family and be fed. Everyone grieved.”

Those calamitous days, in 1892, experienced by a six-year-old child, still brought heavy sadness to her face when she remembered them.

We turned to her own upbringing in ‘Akká. Happily she recalled those rare days when she was instructed in penmanship by Mishkín-Qalam. “I remember,” Mrs. Mansour said, “the Master instructing that Bahá’í children were not to attend Muslim or Christian schools in Haifa and ‘Akká at that time, but were to have their own teacher and be instructed in spiritual matters as well as reading and writing. We had, first, Jenabe Amír, from Nayríz, who taught us Persian poetry, passages from the Qur’án and from the Bahá’í Writings. Unfortunately, he soon became ill and died.

“My mother continued teaching us at home, and my father and uncle taught us prayers and poetry. Later, a Bahá’í lady came and taught. Non-Bahá’í children also attended her classes. We also learned Bahá’í songs.”

Mrs. Mansour recalled vividly some

[Page 11] A marble stairway leading from the upper apartments in the House of ‘Abbúd.

[Page 12] TOP: A mosaic depicting the ancient harbor of ‘Akká.

BOTTOM: Looking through a grilled window in the prison city of ‘Akká towards Mt. Carmel across the bay.

[Page 13] of the humorous incidents. She remembered that her uncle, who was caretaker of the pilgrim house in ‘Akká, had taught a parrot, who had been given to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as a gift, to say “Alláh-u-Abhá”. When anyone came near, the parrot would say this Bahá’í greeting. He also learned to say, “Begu, begu, begu, Yá Bahá.” That means, “Say, say, say, Yá Bahá.” Those who heard the parrot speak without seeing the bird thought they were hearing a human voice.

“One day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent for my uncle, saying: ‘Muḥammad Ḥasan, tomorrow you bring the parrot here so I can present it as a gift to the governor of ‘Akká.’ My uncle took the parrot in his cage to spend the night in the home of the Master. The cage was placed on the windowsill in the hall.

“‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to get up at dawn to walk and meditate and pray in the courtyard of the house when everyone else was asleep. As He was walking nearby, the parrot said ‘Begu, begu.’

“Oh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was so happy!” Mrs. Mansour laughed at the memory of it.

“The parrot said again, ‘Begu, begu.’

“And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá went toward him and He said, ‘What shall I say?’

“The parrot said, ‘Begu Yá Bahá!’ (Say Yá Bahá). That made ‘Abdu’l-Bahá extremely pleased.

“‘Abdu’l-Bahá told my uncle, ‘Oh, Ḥasan, today the parrot saved himself from going to the Governor. This parrot saved his life because he told me, “Say, say!” and I said “What shall I say?” and he said “Begu Yá Bahá!” He said it so fluently, so eloquently. You take him back for the pilgrims. I don’t want to send him away.’

“When the parrot died, my uncle kept his feathers and wrote in his beautiful handwriting, ‘These are the feathers of the parrot that belonged to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which the Master mentioned several times, praising the fluency of this parrot’s talk.’ ”

(This visit to High Point to interview Mrs. Mansour occurred at the time of the observation of the anniversary of the ascension of the Master. Mrs. Mansour gave each one of us a feather from the parrot as a remembrance.)

So many questions came to mind, sitting with this Bahá’í servant. Only a few could be asked at a time, to keep from taxing her physical strength. I asked about the period of the Master’s travels in the West. She said that all were so happy that he was out of prison and able to travel that they did not grieve at His absence. “We turned to the Greatest Holy Leaf and she guided us in all our affairs,” Mrs. Mansour recalled. “We went on with our work and our families as if the Master were with us, knowing He had left her in charge. I remember that He left so suddenly, we were all surprised to know of His departure. While He was in prison, He could not leave the gate of the city of ‘Akká. For long periods, He could not go to Haifa when He was in prison.” Long sighs marked these recollections.

“Rafieh, what can you tell us about the beloved Guardian?” The question evoked a long, searching look. “Have you seen his picture?” she asked. I told her I had. She continued, “He looked sweet, very sweet. Everything good and beautiful.” She recalled how happy both he and the Master had been when the Master was preparing to take Shoghi Effendi with Him to the United States and got a tailor for his clothes. Through the perfidy of one of His attendants and the ruling of Italian officials, Shoghi Effendi and two other members of the party had to return to Haifa. Rafieh remembered the grieved bearing of the Master on His return from America.

“He went straight to Munírih Khánum, His wife, and said: ‘I am burned from this Dr. Faríd.’ There is an expression in Persian, ‘My liver has melted, this man has burned me so much’, and this was the tone of the Master’s statement. When the beloved Shoghi Effendi returned from the beginning of this trip, he was sent to Beirut to school.”

Another scene brought to life by Mrs. Mansour was the experience of living at Abú-Sinán during the First World War. This was a small Druze village where the Master arranged for the Bahá’ís from ‘Akká and Haifa to be evacuated. “We all went there, my husband, my two sons, one of them only four months old and the older one, two years.” Asked it if were “hard for the Bahá’ís to be there,” again Mrs. Mansour smiled, a surprised smile. “No! No! No! Not at all! The Master arranged everything. We went to Abú-Sinán, east of ‘Akká. It was not so hard to be in the villages around ‘Akká.

“Shaykh Ṣálih was the head of the whole village. He called all the people and said: ‘ ‘Abbás Effendi is coming here and bringing the Bahá’ís. If any one has a room he doesn’t need, they will pay to rent it.’ All of his people accepted to make rooms available. Shaykh Ṣálih himself gave his house to the Holy Family. He was the head of the village and very devoted to the Master. His house was a new building, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá paid him generously for the use of it.”

Others in Abú-Sinán at that time included Lua Getsinger, Dr. Ḥabíb Mu’ayyad and Badí’ Bushrú’í. “Dr. Mu’ayyad had just finished his internship in Beirut,” said Mrs. Mansour, “and the Master invited him to stay in the village and take care of the Bahá’ís. He shared a room with Badí’ Bushrú’í, teacher of the Bahá’í children, so that the room served both as a dispensary and a school.”

Her happiness in Abú-Sinán brought many expressions of gratitude. “Thanks to Bahá’u’lláh! Thanks to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! He took care of everything!” When she was questioned about the famine at that time, Mrs. Mansour responded: “These were very good times. We were all with the family of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Very, very good times, as if we didn’t know there was a war. We had not anything to eat sometimes, as the locusts covered the sky. Nothing could be seen, everything was black like the ground. The locusts ate everything green, everything on the trees. People had money but they could not buy anything. But we were never hungry. Enough food was provided when we needed it. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá brought grain and distributed it among Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike. The Master would visit the different homes and sometimes share a meal with friends.” Again, the glory of her experiences transfigured her face.

When they returned to ‘Akká, famine was so extreme that she remembered putting some cracked wheat outside in the sun to dry and on her return found

[Page 14]

[Page 15] LEFT: Entrance to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house at Bahjí. TOP: This was the first greenery Bahá’u’lláh had seen in the seven years of His incarceration in ‘Akká. BOTTOM: The House of ‘Abbúd where the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was revealed.

[Page 16] that it was stolen. The same happened with onions hung to dry in Ferdóz garden, near the garden of Riḍván. But those days lived in Rafieh Mansour’s memory as days of nearness to the Center of the Covenant, blessed days that will never come again.

The burden of her years made it impossible to gather all the flowers from her memory, but sometimes just one sentence would convey a whole episode. “The day of my wedding— this was the day of the Master’s release from prison—we were full of fear for Him, and instead everyone came out of the prison and it was a day of great happiness!”

Another time, early in the morning, she was approaching the House of the Master and saw Him coming towards it. “I ran to open the door for Him. And He came, and He said, ‘Alláh-u-Abhá!’ to me!”

“I was overwhelmed!” Here, Mrs. Mansour’s daughter translated her phrases. “My mother says she was ashamed, she was not worthy for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to say ‘Alláh-u-Abhá’ to her.”

Searching for the memory of her last visit with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, she remembered that her older daughter shared the experience with her. “The last time in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, my older daughter was with me, just a small child then. The servant of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá brought a carriage to take me to His home for some sewing. When we arrived, my daughter Behját was crying and going around in the big halls. All of a sudden ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arrived and called: ‘Behját, why are you crying?’ He took her hand, led her to the living room and put her next to Him on the couch.

“Then He went to an open cupboard and took out some almond candy for her. I was worried that she bothered Him, but He smiled and said He was happy with her. He said: ‘Doesn’t she resemble Jamalieh?’ (This was the aunt to whom Bahá’u’lláh had granted the wish.) The Master said again to me, ‘Doesn’t she look like Jamalieh?’

“I said, ‘I don’t remember.’

“Then He said, ‘Yes, yes.’ He was pleased.” Mrs. Mansour remembered that at this time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not sleep well at night and many times she woke during the night to hear Him chanting. After several days, she and her daughter returned to their own home, her work in the household of the Master completed.

“One day,” said Mrs. Mansour, “someone came, early in the morning, knocking at the door. Then my husband came and said, ‘Everyone get up and dress. We have to go to Haifa. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has passed away!’ Oh, we cried! The neighbors came to see what was going on. They heard the crying. We got on the train to Haifa.”

Mrs. Mansour and her family were among the thousands at the funeral. “From everywhere,” she recalled, “people had come—officials, poets, Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís. From the door of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house to the Shrine of the Báb, all space was filled with people. These people were Christian, Muslim, all religions, everybody. And the poor who were there cried: ‘Oh, what has happened? Our Father has passed away! Our Father!’ ”

For the next forty days, the House of the Master was filled with His grieving friends. The Covenant-breakers, too, came at that time. They were courteously fed, according to Mrs. Mansour, and then one of the daughters of the Master quietly asked them to leave.

So the procession of events in the Holy Land, from 1889 to 1938, passed across the inner eye of Mrs. Mansour and produced these moments for us to share. When the beloved Guardian asked everyone to leave the Holy Land in 1938, she immediately obeyed and went with her family to Iran. In the middle fifties, when the beloved Guardian called on the Persian pioneers to settle other countries, and places within their own country where Bahá’ís were needed, Mrs. Mansour again responded by moving to an outlying area. Later she came to America with her daughter, and in the closing years of her life shared with the Bahá’ís of her immediate vicinity some of the perfume of these experiences in the Holy Land.

[Page 17] Mr. Howard MacNutt

Howard MacNutt: An immortal name in Bahá’í History by O.Z. Whitehead

[Page 18] In January 1898, at the home of Arthur Pillsbury Dodge, Howard MacNutt and his wife Mary recognized the Station of Bahá’u’lláh.

During their first four years in the Bahá’í Community, the MacNutts lived in a house at 731 St. Nicholas Avenue in New York City. After that, they moved to a much larger house at 935 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. They used both of their homes principally to serve the Cause.

Early in his Bahá’í life, Mr. MacNutt undertook the study of Persian and Arabic. As a result, he was able to help in the first English translation of the priceless Kitáb-i-Íqán, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh.

On July 4th, 1894, Miss Sarah J. Farmer formally opened the Center of Green Acre at Eliot, Maine, “for the purpose of bringing together all who were looking earnestly towards the New Day, which seemed to be breaking over the entire world.”¹ In 1896, Miss Farmer heard of the Bahá’í Faith and found perfectly expressed in the Holy Writings the ideals of love and unity that she was trying to foster, with help from such men as Ralph Waldo Emerson and John Greenleaf Whittier. In 1900 she made a pilgrimage to ‘Akká and asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to accept as a gift the facilities of Green Acre. On her return home, she invited the Bahá’ís to use these facilities. Mr. MacNutt became deeply interested in the development of Green Acre. During summer conferences at this delightful, historic spot on the sloping banks of the Piscataqua River, four miles from the ocean, he gave many inspiring lectures.

Early in 1905, the MacNutts and their friend, Julia M. Grundy, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In her touching account of this unforgettable experience, which she called “Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká”, Mrs. Grundy made several vivid references to the MacNutts. The pilgrims stayed in the prison house. One day when the Master came to see them unexpectedly, He said, “...tonight there will be a meeting of the believers here. At the table, they will be gathered together from all parts of the world. This is the reason for my happiness, seeing the East and the West joined in the Kingdom of God. May all the believers in the world be so joined until the whole world shall come under one rule and all nations be as one family. This will surely come to pass.” Then turning to Mr. MacNutt, He asked, “What do you say to this?” He answered ‘What could I say that would add to an already perfect wisdom!’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá responded: “May we all be perfected in the Wisdom and Light of the Blessed Perfection.” Again to Mr. MacNutt, “Will you speak?” He answered, ‘It is a blessed privilege to listen. I am usually called upon to speak but I love to listen.’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “May you always listen, always hear, always speak with the power of the spirit.”² That evening at the Feast, in the large hall of the prison house, while He was serving each guest, the Master said: “This is the blessed supper of the Lord, for we have gathered under the shadow of the Blessed Perfection.”³

A guest at this Feast, the saintly Mírzá Asadu’lláh-i-Iṣfahání, who in 1898, at the request of the Master, had safely taken the remains of the Báb from Iran to the Holy Land, and who, in 1900, in an extended visit to the United States of America, had helped the believers there to recover from the shock and confusion over the defection of Dr. Ibrahim Khayru’lláh, introduced Mr. MacNutt with these words: “He is one of our eloquent American brothers who has great power. God has given him the power to attract souls to the Fountain of Life. His words are like a magnet.”⁴ As he looked at those around him, Mr. MacNutt said, “In

The Brooklyn, New York home of Howard and Mary MacNutt at 935 Eastern Parkway. This recent photo shows the original frame house as it was in 1912 which has since been renovated and occupied by Young Israel. Buildings have replaced the spacious lawn where the only motion pictures were made of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

[Page 19]

“May you always listen, always hear, always speak with the power of the spirit.”

The two volumes of The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His visit to the United States, compiled by Howard MacNutt.

these Bahá’í faces, one can see the image of the Blessed Perfection. He is here. I will take this picture to the American believers. Their spirits are with us at this table of love.”

The next morning when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá joined the pilgrims for breakfast, Mrs. MacNutt explained what she thought were the three progressive spiritual steps to follow. They were: obedience as Christ taught; resignation as Muḥammad taught; and renunciation as revealed by Bahá’u’lláh. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “I pray that you may all be assisted to attain these stations in the Cause of God.” He continued: “The cause of my happiness is meeting you here and seeing your faces filled with the Light of God. I shall never forget the beautiful meeting last night. You must meet together in this way in America...”⁶

On May 7, 1905, at Genealogical Hall in New York City, shortly after he and the rest of his party had returned from the Holy Land, Mr. MacNutt gave a moving talk entitled, “Unity Through Love.” He recalled what the Master had asked him shortly after his arrival at ‘Akká: “How are the beloved of God in the city of New York? Are they unified? Are they in love and harmony? Are they enkindled by the fire of the Love of God?” Mr. MacNutt’s answer: “There are more signs of unity and love among us in New York than there have been in the history of our organization; and this is owing more to the good work of our women than to any other one cause.” He paused, and said to the audience, “You should have seen the holy light of joy and happiness upon His face, as He heard this answer.”⁷

Instead of encouraging the pilgrims to ask questions about science, metaphysics, and philosophy, Mr. MacNutt informed his audience, the Master tried to show them how to apply the divine principle of love to their lives. He was most anxious to know how the friends were behaving toward one another and what efforts they were making to teach those who, because of ignorance and superstition, were veiled from the Glory of Bahá’u’lláh. Mr. MacNutt advised Bahá’ís ‘not to make the pilgrimage from a mere motive of self-satisfaction or spirit of inquiry, but to go to ‘Akká for the people, to bring back from the Master that which will accomplish the work of God and assist in the development of humanity.”⁸

He recounted how one day he said to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that he wished he could take the Master’s “living face” back to America for the friends to see as he had seen. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered, “My love is my face; take it to them; tell them to see me in their love for each other.”⁹

During the spring of 1911, in a Tablet which He revealed to the much-loved Juliet Thompson, the Master wrote: “Announce on my behalf to Mrs. MacNutt, I do not forget thee and my beloved friend, Mr. MacNutt, for one breath; nay rather, I beg continually for your divine confirmation and supreme assistance.”¹⁰

On that time-honored morning of April 11, 1912, when the Master arrived in New York aboard the S.S. Cedric, a large group of believers had gathered there to meet Him. He sent them a message of love, but in order to avoid a public scene, He asked the believers to leave and join Him at four o’clock that afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kinney. After all but two believers and a deeply interested friend had obediently left the pier, Mr. MacNutt and Mr. Mills escorted the Master from the ship and led Him a short distance down the pier to Mr. Mills’s car for the drive into the city.

The next day a large group of Bahá’ís assembled at the home of the MacNutts in Brooklyn to hear the Master’s second formal talk in America. Mr. MacNutt took notes, as he did during at least seventeen other talks the Master gave in this country. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá began this beautiful presentation by saying, “This is a most happy visit. I have crossed the sea from the land of the Orient for the joy of meeting the friends of God. Although weary after my long journey, the light of the spirit shining in your faces brings me rest and reward. This is a spiritual house; the home of the spirit. There is no discord here; all is love and

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“There are more signs of unity and love among us in New York than there have been in the history of our organization...”

unity.”¹¹ He then clearly stated that only through the intense sufferings and hardships that Jesus Christ, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh had endured was it possible to hold such a meeting, and for all to proclaim the unity of the human family.

At twenty minutes before midnight April 14, three days after the Master’s arrival in New York City, the Titanic, the largest steamship ever built, grazed an enormous iceberg on the fourth day of her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, and two hours later, sank. Because there were an insufficient number of lifeboats on board for 4,000 passengers and 800 crew members, 1500 people drowned. On the day the newspapers printed this tragic story, the Master took a drive through the streets of New York with Mr. MacNutt. “Shall any of these things you are looking upon remain or endure?” the Master asked. “If you possessed all you could wish for—these great buildings, wealth, luxury, the pleasures of life in this world—would any of these things increase your eternal happiness or ensure you everlasting existence? I am summoning you to the world of the Kingdom... For the world of the Kingdom is a world of Lights, a world of happiness, a world of accomplishments, the real and eternal world.”¹² Mr. MacNutt has written that in conclusion, after a lengthy pause during which He looked thoughtfully out of the window, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said calmly, “I was asked to sail upon the Titanic, but my heart did not prompt me to do so.”¹³

During His first days in New York City, while he was residing at the handsome Hotel Ansonia, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá enthusiastically consented to appear in a short film to be made in front of the hotel’s imposing entrance. Mr. J. G. Grundy and Mr. MacNutt have both affirmed that as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá approached the camera He asked Bahá’u’lláh “to bless this means for the spreading of the Heavenly Cause throughout the world.”¹⁴ To watch Him do this was a most impressive sight, they said. Several weeks later the two men arranged for the Master to take part in a second filming, this one longer than the first. Dr. Zia Bagdadi has stated that it consists of five scenes. The first is of the Master’s arrival at the house, and the welcome that the friends gave Him; the second, His conversation with His secretaries, and interpreters as He walked with them on the lawn; the third, His chants in Persian as He walked there alone; the fourth, His blessings to the white and black children as He sat beside them, with the Persian believers standing in the background; and the fifth, His farewell words to the believers.¹⁵ According to Mr. Grundy and Mr. MacNutt, “those who beheld His countenance in the final utterance of the ‘Glad Tidings’ will treasure the memory of it forever.”¹⁶ Shortly after these scenes were filmed, the same two men made a record of the Master’s voice on an Edison Talking Machine. They wrote, “The beloved friends one hundred years from now will be able to see the form, face, and the actions of the beloved Center of the Covenant; and even more, listen to the actual tone of His voice, speaking the words which the motion picture so eloquently portrays.”¹⁷

During the Master’s journey in America, and at frequent intervals for some years afterwards, His American addresses, often accompanied by fascinating stories about Him, sometimes illustrated with excellent photographs, were published in the Bahá’í magazine, Star of the West. Thinking that a collection of these talks would make an impressive book, Mr. MacNutt collected those that had already been published, and all the other presentations by the Master in America that he could find, and prepared them for publication. In two letters which he wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on February 18 and 21, 1919, he asked approval of this plan. The Master composed a Tablet in reply, translated by Shoghi Effendi, with this most encouraging advice: “The addresses of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which thou hast compiled and which thou intendest to print and publish, is indeed very advisable. This service shall cause thee to acquire an effulgent face in the Abhá Kingdom, and shall make thee the object of the praise and gratitude of the friends in the East as well as the West. But this is to be undertaken with the utmost carefulness, so that the exact text may be reproduced and will exclude all deviations and corruptions by previous interpreters.”¹⁸ On July 20, 1919, in a Tablet revealed to Albert R. Windust, the Master gave this further instruction, “Name the book which Mr. MacNutt is compiling ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace.’ As to its introduction it should be written by MacNutt himself when in heart he is turning toward the Abhá Kingdom so that he may leave a permanent trace behind him. Send a copy of it to the Holy Land.”¹⁹

Mr. MacNutt, of course, followed all of His instructions. The Master gave the introduction His approval and asked that a Persian translation of it be included in the forthcoming book.

In the introduction, he said the Master “proclaimed His message and teachings universally to every degree and capacity of humankind, with such pure and sincere motive that all heard him gladly and without prejudice and antagonism.”²⁰

He said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was “... the channel of purifying, unifying religious belief, the new impulse, and dynamic, the creative spirit of regeneration, the power and healing direct from God, the irrigating current of life to the world of man, the answerer of questions, the explainer of the Book, the bestower of spiritual capacities, the uplifting impetus of civilization, the servant of all mankind, the point of agreement and reconciliation for all the divine religions, the standard-bearer of Universal Peace and messenger of the Glad-Tidings of the oneness of the world of humanity.”²¹ Several months before the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, on November 28, 1921, the Executive Board of the Bahá’í Temple Unity published its first edition of The Promulgation of Universal Peace.

Owing to Mr. MacNutt’s foresight and painstaking work, believers and

[Page 21] inquirers alike still have a precious opportunity to read and study all of the Master’s available American addresses. They serve as models to many Bahá’í speakers. Distinguished historians of the Cause often quote from these gemlike talks.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá once asked the MacNutts to try and hold on to their house in Brooklyn, where He had visited, and where so many splendid meetings had taken place. Early in 1920, however, they decided to spend the rest of their lives in a concentrated effort to teach the Cause in other parts of the country. After Mr. MacNutt had retired from his profession, he and Mary sold their house and moved to Florida. They spent five of the next winters serving the Faith in various cities of Florida. They spent one winter in California teaching the Faith.

Thornton Chase, not only the first American believer, but also the first believer of the West, was a close friend of Howard MacNutt’s. A touching photograph of him, which he declared his favorite, shows him standing close to Mr. Chase’s grave in the cemetery of Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles. In his middle sixties, Mr. MacNutt had a strong, handsome face and a sturdy body. His kind, gentle expression showed charm and humor. White hair covered his head. With deep love and much fervor, he seems to be praying for his departed friend.²²

Howard and Mary MacNutt both died in Miami, Florida, as a result of injuries received from accidents, he on December 26th, 1926, and she one month before. In “America and the Most Great Peace,” his magnificent essay on the spiritual history of that country, the beloved Guardian has numbered MacNutt among eight immortal names who “will forever remain associated with the rise and establishment of His Faith in the American continent and will continue to shed on its annals a luster that time can never dim.”²³

1. Horace H. Holley, “Green Acre,” Star of the West Volume 17 (July, 1926): p. 117.
2. Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Acca (Chicago: Bahá’í Publishing Society), p. 72.
3. Ibid., p. 74
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid., p. 76.
6. Ibid., p. 77.
7. Howard MacNutt, Unity Through Love (Chicago: Bahá’í Publishing Society), p. 3.
8. Ibid., p. 16.
9. Ibid., p. 77.
10. Star of the West, Volume II (August, 1911) No. 7-8, p. 13.
11. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, Compiled by Howard MacNutt, Volume I (Chicago: Bahá’í Temple Unity, 1921-22), p. 2.
12. Star of the West, Volume IV (October, 1913) No. 12, p. 210.
13. Ibid.
14. J.G. Grundy and Howard MacNutt, “Taking of the Moving Picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Center of the Covenant,” Star of the West, Volume III (September, 1912) No. 10, p. 3.
15. Zia Bagdadi, “ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in America,” Star of the West, Volume XIX, (November, 1928) No. 8, p. 253.
16. Star of the West, Volume III (September, 1912) No. 10 p. 3.
17. Ibid., p. 3.
18. Star of the West Volume 10 (August, 1919) No. 8 p. 153.
19. Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. vii.
20. Ibid., p. ii.
21. Ibid., p. vi and vii.
22. Star of the West Volume XVII (January, 1927) No. 10 p. 298.
23. Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh (Wilmette, Bahá’í Publishing Trust 1955) p. 81.

Howard MacNutt at the graveside of Mr. Thornton Chase, first American Bahá’í, in Los Angeles, California.

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