Bahá’í News/Issue 53/Text
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada
| No. 53 | JULY, 1931 |
THE PLIGHT OF MANKIND[edit]
A LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Compelled by the needs of a Faith which, as Shoghi Effendi has said, is still in its infancy, the members of the National Spiritual Assembly before this time have communicated with their fellow believers mainly in matters related to the internal affairs of the Cause. Neither time nor strength has been granted us to refer in any useful way to those larger problems pressing upon the Cause by reason of events and conditions in the outside world. A certain measure of time has apparently been providentially vouchsafed to the Bahá’ís during which might be founded and developed, unhindered by the general public, the administrative institutions provided for the future society, and our capacity for unity and sacrifice tested, in the construction of the universal House of Worship.
The Guardian’s communications, however, have from time to time interpreted world conditions and trends for us, preparing the believers gradually for that inevitable moment when we shall be called upon to bear witness to our Faith and uphold its teachings as the inspiration and order of the new age.
How soon this transitional period of public indifference will end we cannot say. But the fact that the construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár coincides with an international depression beyond the power of present leaders to remedy or even understand, indicates for believers the swift fulfilment of every prophecy, and the manifestation of the supreme might of Bahá’u’lláh as the risen Sun of Truth banishing the shadows of injustice and hate.
It seems eminently desirable, accordingly, to turn at this time to those words of Shoghi Effendi which refer to the crisis through which humanity is passing. As long ago as 1923 the Guardian declared: “Who can fail to recognize the sore need of bleeding humanity, in its present state of uncertainty and peril, for the regenerating Spirit of God manifested this Day so powerfully in this Divine Dispensation? Four years of unprecedented warfare and world cataclysms, followed by another four years of bitter disappointment and suffering, have stirred deeply the conscience of mankind, and opened the eyes of an unbelieving world to the Power of the Spirit that alone can cure its sicknesses, heal its wounds, and establish the long-promised reign of undisturbed prosperity and peace.”
In November of that same year: “And as to the world’s evil plight, we need but recall the writings and sayings of Bahá’u’lláh who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set forth their true and divine remedy. ‘Should the Lamp of Religion be hidden,’ He declares, ‘Chaos and confusion will ensue.’ How admirably fitting and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind!”
This theme was continued a few months later (February 23, 1924): “The plight of mankind, the condition and circumstances under which we live and labor are truly disheartening, and the darkness of prejudice and ill-will enough to chill the stoutest heart. Disillusion and dismay are invading the hearts of peoples and nations, and the hope and vision of a united and regenerated humanity is growing dimmer and dimmer every day . . . Humanity, torn with dissension and burning with hate, is crying at this hour for a fuller measure of that love which is born of God, that love which in the last resort will prove the one solvent of its incalculable difficulties and problems.”
The Guardian wrote in November, 1924: “We have but to turn our eyes to the world without to realize the fierceness and the magnitude of the forces of darkness that are struggling with the dawning light of the Abhá Revelation. Nations, though exhausted and disillusioned, have seemingly begun to cherish anew the spirit of revenge, of domination and strife. Peoples, convulsed by economic upheavals, are slowly drifting into two great opposing camps with all their menace of social chaos, class hatreds, and worldwide ruin. Races, alienated more than ever before, are filled with mistrust, humiliation and fear, and seem to prepare themselves for a fresh and fateful encounter. Creeds and religions, caught in this whirlpool of conflict and passion, appear to gaze with impotence and despair at this spectacle of unceasing turmoil . . . Are we by our thoughts, our words, our deeds, whether individually or collectively, preparing the way?”
Nearly three years intervened between this message and the following words (October 18, 1927) : “And now in conclusion, may I be permitted to direct your attention to the lesson which the trend of world events brings home to us—the little band of His chosen workers who, according to the intelligent efforts we exert, can prove ourselves the determining factor in the immediate fortunes of the society we live in. As we witness on all sides the growing restlessness of a restless age, we are filled with mixed feelings of fear and hope—fear, at the prospect of yet another deadly encounter, the inevitability of which is alas! becoming increasingly manifest; hope, in the serene assurance that whatever cataclysm may yet visit humanity, it cannot but hasten the approaching era of universal and lasting peace so emphatically proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.”
The great issues interpreted for us
by the Guardian have now unmistakeably
overtaken the world. As the normal
activities of material civilization
are interrupted, we must rely more and
more upon our own Bahá’í community
to create means of co-operation corresponding
to the divine teachings and
permeated by the spirit of the Cause.
In order to prepare ourselves for such
a mission, let us study and ponder
continuously the laws, the counsels and the
advices revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and
’Abdu’l-Bahá, and in our local meetings
strive for so true a unity and so prayerful
an attitude that we may be collectively
inspired to solve whatever spiritual
and material problems may arise.
To say, “I accept the Cause—I believe
[Page 2]
in the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh” is not
enough. Let us, through the mysterious
power of consultation, limitless in its
possibilities, endeavor to find ways of
life wherein our faith, yielding up the
station of the seed, may become a strong
and fruitful tree.
The Master has said that the secrets of the economic world are divine in nature. “The disease which afflicts the body politic is lack of love and absence of altruism. In the hearts of men no real love is found . . . The spiritual teachings of the religion of God can alone create this love, unity and accord in human hearts . . . Until the minds of men become united, no important matter can be accomplished. At present Universal Peace is a matter of great importance, but unity of conscience is essential, so that the foundation of this matter may become secure, its establishment firm and its edifice strong.”
Unlike the social plans promoted by various governments, religious leaders and public agencies to remedy the present ills of mankind, the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh aim first at the hearts, and make social evolution depend upon the mysterious influences of the spirit and not merely upon outer laws and ordinances. His World Order, so rational and complete, is still concealed from unbelievers who have abandoned the ways of God. Ours is the sacred task of attaining that “unity of conscience” which alone will release the beneficent forces of humanity, and make the Bahá’í community a living proof that Bahá’u’lláh sent forth the creative Word.
NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í COMMITTEES[edit]
1931-1932
Archives Committee:
- Mr. Albert Windust, Chairman
- Miss Gertrude Buikema, Secretary
- Mrs. Ruth Comell
Bahá’í Study Committee:
- Mrs. Doris McKay
- Mr. Harlan F. Ober
- Mrs. Ruth Randall Brown
Bahá’í World Committee:
- Mrs. Nellie S. French, Chairman
- Mr. Albert Windust, Secretary
- Mrs. O. La Farge
- Mr. Horace Holley
Legal Committee:
- Mr. Horace Holley, Chairman
- Mr. Allen B. McDaniel
- Mr. Louis G. Gregory
National Teaching Committee:
- Mr. Rex Collison, Chairman
- Mr. Leroy Ioas, Vice-Chairman
- Mrs. Mary Collison,
- Eastern Secretary
- Miss Charlotte Linfoot,
- Western Secretary
- Mrs. J. W. Gift
- Dr. A. D. Heist
- Mr. George O. Latimer
- Mrs. Ella G. Cooper
- Mr. Willard P. Hatch
- Professor Forsyth Ward
National Reviewing Committee:
- Mr. Bishop Brown, Secretary
- Mrs. Doris Holley
- Dr. Genevieve L. Coy
Inter-Racial Amity Committee:
- Mrs. Loulie Mathews, Chairman
- Mr. Louis G. Gregory, Secretary
- Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi
- Mrs. Mabelle L. Davis
- Mrs. Frances Fales
- Mrs. Sarah L. Witt
- Dr. Alain Locke
- Mrs. Shelley N. Parker
- Mrs. Annie K. Lewis
Geyserville Summer Community Committee:
- Mr. John Bosch, Chairman
- Mr. George O. Latimer
- Mr. Leroy Ioas
- Mrs. Amelia E. Collins
- Mrs. Ella G. Cooper
Publicity Committee:
- Mr. Allen B. McDaniel, Chairman
- Mr. Horace Holley, Secretary
- Mrs. Florence Morton
- Mr. Stanwood Cobb
Publishing Committee:
- Mr. Horace Holley, Chairman
- Mrs. R. D. Little, Secretary
- Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm
- Miss Bertha L. Herklotz
- Mrs. M. B. Moore
- Mrs. Loulie Mathews
- Mrs. C. R. Wood
World’s Fair (1933) Religious Congress Committee:
- Mrs. Nellie S. French, Chairman
- Mrs. May Maxwell, Secretary
- Mrs. Allen B. McDaniel
- Mr. Albert R. Vail
- Mr. Horace Holley
- Mrs. Ella G. Cooper
Editing Tablets Committee:
- Mrs. Corinne True, Chairman
- Mrs. Ida Slater
- Mrs. Elizabeth Nourse
- Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi
Thornton Chase Memorial Committee:
- Mr. John Bosch
- Mr. Willard P. Hatch
Music Committee:
- Miss Louise D. Wright, Chairman
- Mr. Albert Windust
- Mrs. Nina Matthisen
- Miss Margaret Klebs
- Miss Ruth Lunt
- Mrs. Edith Inglis
Bahá’í News Editorial Committee:
- Mrs. Sarah Walrath, Chairman
- Mr. Albert Windust
- Editorial Manager
- Mrs. Nina Matthisen
- Miss Sophie Loeding,
- Mr. Albert R. Vail
Research Committee:
- Mr. F. D. Clark, Chairman
- Mrs. F. D. Clark, Secretary
- Mrs. Mary M. Rabb
- Mrs. R. V. Winterburn
Temple Program Committee:
- Mr. Carl Scheffler, Chairman
- Mr. Willis S. Hilpert
- Mrs. Sarah Walrath
- Mr. A. F. Matthisen
- Mr. Monroe Ioas
- Mrs. Shelley Parker
- Mrs. Edris Rice-Wray Carson
- Mrs. Anne Bartholomew
Bahá’í Economics Committee:
- Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, Chairman
- Mr. Dale S. Cole, Secretary
- Mr. George O. Latimer
- Mr. Harlan F. Ober
- Mr. S. Schopflocher
- Miss Judie Russell
- Mr. Willard McKay
- Mr. Robert L. Moffett
- Mr. Wright
Green Acre Program Committee:
- Prof. Glenn A. Shook, Chairman
- Mrs. Mary Coristine
- Miss Agnes O’Neill
Green Acre Properties Committee:
- Mrs. Margaret B. McDaniel,
- Chairman
- Mr. F. St. G. Spendlove
- Mr. Henry L. Green
|
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA General Address: Bahá’í Secretariat, Evergreen Cabin, West Englewood, N. J. ALFRED E. LUNT, Secretary, 89
NELLIE S. FRENCH, International
Roy C. WILHELM, Treasurer,
CARL SCHEFFLER, Financial Secretary,
The Bahá’í News is the Organ of communication between the
SARAH WALRATH, Chairman. ALBERT WINDUST, Editorial Manager. SOPHIE LOEDING. ALBERT VAIL.
Editorial Office: SARAH WALRATH, 1415 Sherwood Terrace, Chicago, Illinois. |
The Editorial Committee of the Bahá’í News, would appreciate being supplied with news items from your community. We are all vitally interested in the activities of the Cause, and the Committee feels that one of the best ways to tighten the bonds holding us together is to know more about one another. What better way to do this than through the Bahá’í News? Will you, therefore, appoint some member of your Community whose duty it shall be to write us briefly each month any Bahá’í news that you feel would prove interesting and helpful.
We earnestly beg for your co-operation and prayers to assist us in this very important work.
Please note the new address as given above.
IMPORTANT RECENT MESSAGE[edit]
FROM SHOGHI EEFENDI DATED JUNE 20, 1931
“Shoghi Effendi believes that the Temple and teaching work should be continued to be regarded as the twin outstanding activities of the Believers in America. Everything else should be subordinated to this urgent need. The work of applying the exterior ornamentation to the completed structure should proceed steadily and as speedily as possible. Shoghi Effendi feels that the full effect and influence of the Temple can be revealed only when the work in its entirety is accomplished. All the beauty and glory of the Temple depends upon the exterior garment of stone with which it is to be adorned, while the consummation of the task will in itself act as a magnet that will draw the promised blessings of the Master. Nothing short of continued self-sacrifice can achieve this end. In fact, the greater the obstacles in our way, the greater will be the reward we are destined to reap. The present financial depression should be regarded both as a challenge and an opportunity to prove the reality and potency of our faith. Shoghi Effendi will continue to pray for the American Believers who are destined to render still more glorious services to the Cause in the future.”
THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE[edit]
“When the structure (Temple) shall be completed a new era will be inaugurated in the history of the Came in that country.”
Thus writes the Guardian in a letter dated May 31, 1931.
With these inspiring words our Guardian urges us to continue with renewed efforts the building of the Temple.
The delegates to the Twenty-Third Annual Convention the first of last May held a dedicatory service under the dome in the recently completed superstructure just nineteen years to a day after the consecration of the Temple site by our beloved Master.
A new spirit among the believers has come from the completion of the second step in the building of the Temple. Its simple beauty, dignity and impressiveness not only brings a renewed sense of happiness and assurance to the believers who have had the privilege to look upon it, but it has also awakened a remarkable spirit of interest and gratification among the people of that section of the North Shore of Chicago.
The Guardian now points out the importance of continuing the work and the spiritual blessings that will go out to the world as the result of the fulfillment of the Master’s promise when the present structure is completed.
Let us therefore arise with true unity, as one soul in many bodies, to co-operate with the National Spiritual Assembly in the carrying out of the new Plan for Unified Action. Through full cooperation in loving unity; each and every believer contributing of their time, efforts and resources, in His Spirit, will our activities bear early fruit.
Each and every believer throughout America will receive from the National Spiritual Assembly a printed folder which will briefly set forth the new Plan. It should be noted that this Plan includes the budget for the next three years with provision for the completion of the Temple and all of the national activities. While the Plan sets forth the spiritual objective given in average figures, the confirmations will descend upon the friends and the Plan become fulfilled only in so far as each and every believer participates. Let our contributions be given according to our resources. A contribution of nine cents a month given in the spirit of loving service and sacrifice will be indeed blest.
In a cablegram to the recent (1931) Annual Convention the Guardian sets forth our great objective for the coming year in the following words:
“Fervently appeal all associated this holy enterprise, consummate their achievement by upholding whatever measures National representatives may deem necessary for provision exterior ornamentation. Inestimable blessing shall crown America’s sustained self-sacrificing endeavors.”— (Signed) SHOGHI.
A NEW PLAN OF UNIFIED ACTION[edit]
TO COMPLETE THE BAHÁ’Í TEMPLE AND PROMOTE THE CAUSE IN AMERICA
Reprint of a Pamphlet issued by The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada, June, 1931
To the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada
Beloved friends in El-Abhá:
All the believers who gathered together
in the spirit of consecration in
the first meeting held at the Temple,
realized that this event signalized a
great outpouring of the spirit of unity[Page 4]
and devotion upon the Cause in
America. That the occasion was truly
providential is clear when we recall
the fact that the meeting took place
exactly nineteen years after the day
when the Master Himself stood on that
very site to give His blessing to the
glorious task.
Now the members of the National Spiritual Assembly lay before the believers a new “plan of unified action” as a necessary measure for the completion of the Temple, in accordance with the message from Shoghi Effendi quoted at the close of the preceding article by Allen McDaniel.
We realize fully that the coming three years will be a time of difficulty and anxiety for every believer. If the purpose of our collective endeavor were anything less than service to the Cause of God, if we had to rely only upon our human resources and capacities, the magnitude of the task before us would be truly appalling.
But such considerations are swept away in the knowledge that the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is one of the fundamental laws of the Manifestation, His gift of order, of peace, of brotherly love to a distracted world. By our association in the sacrificial effort to make that all-powerful law a living reality “on earth as in heaven,” we can draw closer to the divine Center of peace and assurance, find refuge in the Covenant, and be sustained by unfailing Guidance even amid the tribulations of a disordered, collapsing world.
The time of words and idle thoughts has passed, and the time of deeds has come. Every believer is urgently requested to make himself familiar with the essential facts of the Plan, and so order his or her own life that the fullest measure of sacrifice will be the outcome during the next three years.
Below we give the Financial Summary of the Plan, which shows that the monthly income of the National Fund, to fulfil the Guardian’s standard for American believers, must be $14,722.
This means that the average donation from 1600 believers must be $9.00 per month. Some of the friends can and will contribute much more than this, some can only contribute a small fraction of that amount. But let each of us make supreme effort to take the largest possible part in the most important achievement laid upon the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.
Now is the moment to recall the Master’s words, that the prophets and holy ones yearn above all to render some service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. Future generations, looking back, will envy us this opportunity to assist in laying the very foundations of world peace. Ours the privilege of contributing to order amid disorder, to faith amid general disillusion, to stability amid chaos.
In order to make this collective effort the central point of our Bahá’í activity, the National Assembly requests each Local Spiritual Assembly and every Bahá’í group to devote all Nineteen-Day Feasts during the three year period of this Plan to the subject of the Temple. Let the readings be chosen so as to reveal its meaning more fully to us all, and inspire us with power to complete its construction, without and within, before the Convention of 1934. Let this be the subject of our consultation, the goal of our endeavors, the living ideal of our inmost hearts!
We await confidently your response to this appeal.
- Yours faithfully,
THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY OF THE PLAN OF UNIFIED ACTION 1931-1934
“We must be like the fountain or spring that is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good—this is the secret of right living.”—Shoghi Effendi.
To complete the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár ..........$4-25,000
Annual Budget of the National
- Assembly, for all current
- activities exclusive of Temple
- construction: Teaching,
- Inter-Racial Amity, Convention,
- Bahá’í Magazine, Archives,
- Bahá’í News, Temple
- Maintenance, Green Acre,
- Geyserville Summer School,
- Legal, Publishing, International
- Contribution. Administration,
- etc. ...................$35,00O
- For the three year period. ... 105,000
Total Fund of the Plan .......... $530,000
Total required
- yearly ............ $176,666
Total required
- monthly ........... $14,722
Average donation monthly from each believer, $9.00.
NOTE: Temple Construction will proceed steadily during this period as the accumulation of funds allows the National Assembly to vote funds to the Temple Trustees. The immediate requirement (by October 1, 1931) is to complete the heating apparatus so that the structure will be preserved during the winter season. Contracts for external decoration will then be placed as rapidly as possible, and the additional electrical and other mechanical equipment installed as actually required.
COMPLETE BALLOT AT 1931 ANNUAL CONVENTION[edit]
To ELECT MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
| Allen B. McDaniel | 72 | ||
| Alfred E. Lunt | 64 | ||
| Horace Holley | 60 | ||
| Roy C. Wilhelm | 55 | ||
| Fred Schopflocher | 55 | ||
| Carl Scheffler | 50 | ||
| Amelia E. Collins | 46 | ||
| Nellie S. French | 41 | ||
| Louis G. Gregory | 38 | ||
| George O. Latimer | 29 | ||
| Leroy C. Ioas | 29 | ||
| Ella G. Cooper | 26 | ||
| Harlan F. Ober | 20 | ||
| Rex Collison | 17 | ||
| May Maxwell | 15 | ||
| Corinne True | 12 | ||
| Loulie Matthews | 11 | ||
| Albert Windust | 11 | ||
| Doris McKay | 10 | ||
| Mariam Haney | 9 | ||
| Marion M. Little | 8 | ||
| Stanwood Cobb | 7 | ||
| Florence Morton | 7 | ||
| Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi | 7 | ||
| Mountfort Mills | 6 | ||
| Albert R. Vail | 6 | ||
| A. F. Matthisen | 5 | ||
| Keith Ranson Kehler | 5 | ||
| Elizabeth Greenleaf | 5 | ||
| Williard P. Hatch | 3 | ||
| Ali Kuli Khan | 3 | ||
| John Bosch | 3 | ||
| Dr. A. D. Heist | 3 | ||
| Dr. W. F. Slater | 3 | ||
| Charles Mason Remey | 3 | ||
| Ida Finch | 2 | ||
| Agnes S. Parsons | 2 | ||
| Willis Hilpert | 2 | ||
| Dr. Genevieve Coy | 2 | ||
| Edward B. Kinney | 2 | ||
| Hooper Harris | 2 | ||
| Bishop Brown | 2 | ||
| Dr. Reginald Barrow | 2 | ||
| Ernest Harrison | 2 | ||
| Edna True | 1 | ||
| W. S. Maxwell | 1 | ||
| Roy Williams | 1 | ||
| Juliet Thompson | 1 | ||
| Edwina Powell | 1 | ||
| Maye H. Gift | 1 | ||
| Margaret McDaniel | 1 |
| Miss A. B. Crum | 1 | ||
| Frances Fales | 1 | ||
| Florence E. Schopflocher | 1 | ||
| Ida B. Slater | 1 | ||
| Shelley N. Parker | 1 | ||
| Glenn A. Shook | 1 | ||
| Shahnaz Waite | 1 | ||
| Edward D. Struven | 1 | ||
| Ruth L. Moffett | 1 | ||
| Julia Threlkeld | 1 | ||
| Louise D. Wright | 1 | ||
| Mary Collison | 1 | ||
| Martha Root | 1 | ||
| Pauline Hannen | 1 | ||
| Mr. L. W. Eggleston | 1 | ||
| Dale S. Cole | 1 | ||
| George Spendlove | 1 | ||
| Bertha Kirkpatrick | 1 | ||
| Total | 787 |
88 ballots cast; 33 by mail; 55 direct.
CENTRAL STATES SUMMER SCHOOL[edit]
In Eastern Michigan, twelve miles east of Flint, three miles south of Davison, and about fifty miles northwest of Detroit, on the 270 acre farm of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Eggleston, there will be held this Summer from Aug. 1st to Aug. 9th incl., a Bahá’í Summer School primarily planned for the training of teachers to work in the Central States district. It is hoped that this effort may be confirmed and that souls will arise under the guidance of God who will dedicate themselves to the spreading of the tidings of the Kingdom throughout all those regions.
Lodgings and two meals will be furnished for $10 and $12 weekly. Arrangements will also be made for those wishing to spend the week-ends or for only a part of the session. Dinners may be obtained at a nearby town at a moderate cost. Automobiles will transport the friends. Those wishing to bring tents and camping equipment will find delightful sites.
The Eggleston property is situated on a main highway, Route M 15 from Detroit. It is important that those wishing to attend should write for reservations immediately. Address all communications to the Sec’y of the Committee, Mrs. Helen Whitney Eggleston, 201 E. Kirby St., Detroit, Mich.
- PROGRAM
The New Economics. Course by Mr.
- Harlan Ober.
- (a) The Past World Order.
- (b) Analysis of the Present Economic
- Crisis in the Light of the
- Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
- (c) What is the Bahá’í Solution of
- the Present World Crisis?
- (d) The Present Need for a Bahá’í
- Community as a Working Plan
- of the New World Order.
Daily Practice Class in Public Speaking.
- Mrs. Mabel Rice-Wray Ives.
- (a) Inspiration vs. Preparation.
- (b) Technique: posture, voice, etc.
- (c) Informal Group Talks.
- (d) Public Addresses.
Two Lectures by Mrs. Dorothy Baker.
- (a) What can the Bahá’í Home Give
- to its Children?
- (b) The Cosmic Round Table.
The Teaching Possibilities of the Bahá’í
- Home. Course by Mrs. Grace
- Ober.
- (a) Hospitality.
- (b) As a Shelter.
- (c) As a Representative of the
- World Home: The Microcosm
- of the Macrocosm.
- (d) Its Part in Education.
- (e) The Home of ’Abdu’l-Bahá.
Effective Teaching Methods. Course
- by Howard Ives,
- (a) First Contacts with Groups and
- Individual Souls.
- (b) The Word of God.
- (c) The New World Order.
- (d) The Illumination of the Heart
- through the Breaths of the Holy
- Spirit.
- DAILY PROGRAM
9:30 to 10 A.M. Devotional Meeting. 10 to 12 A.M. Above Courses and Lectures.
Afternoon and Evening: Informal Discussion Groups covering subjects of interest and value; answers to inquirers, etc.
Recreation, picnics, camp-fire or moonlight gatherings featuring stories of the Cause and personal experiences with ’Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, Special Classes for newly attracted souls and investigators.
Sunday Afternoons, 4 to 5 o’clock: Two public meetings, Aug. 2nd and 9th. Speakers to be announced later.
EGYPT
Bahá’í deep love and greetings to all the beloved of our dear Guardian. We are glad to take this opportunity to extend the sincere congratulations of the Egyptian believers to their very dear brothers in America for the Riḍván and happy New Bahá’í Year, wishing them to be more and more inclined to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and following the steps of ’Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi in promulgating the heavenly Word.
- A. RUSHDY, Secretary,
PALESTINE
On the 21st of March the Bahá’ís of Haifa celebrated the Naw-rúz at a meeting on Mt. Carmel which was attended by the Guardian. Among others were Jenab Motlak and Dr. Ḥakim from Persia. Mr. Nushukati from Port-Said. We have also had with us a large group of American friends, among them Miss Wright, Miss Doolittle, Mrs. True, Mrs. Harding, Mrs. Barton, Mrs. Mills, the Misses Thompson, Miss Jack, Mrs. Hoagg and others.
Our readers might be interested to know that during February a group of students who are sent by the Persian Government to study in Europe visited Haifa. The majority of them were Bahá’ís as well as their officer and they did not lose the opportunity of visiting the Shrines and calling to meet the Guardian.
The Pilgrims visiting are already appreciating the rare experience which is now available to all to spend the night in the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh in Bahjí. They find it still another opportunity to visualize the atmosphere in which Bahá’u’lláh spent His closing years and to drink deep from that ever-flowing fountain of inspiration.
The middle room of the three which have been constructed adjacent to the Shrines of the Báb and ’Abdu’l-Bahá on Mt. Carmel, has been so arranged by the Guardian as to contain some of the pictures and writings reminiscent of the early Bahá’ís both in the East and the West, and will by and by become a place that the friends will visit with great and increasing interest. The gardens around the Shrines are now in full bloom with the coming of spring and they form a heavenly surrounding for the last resting places of those much loved and much adored leaders of the Faith.
The Guardian is in very good health and always busy with his correspondence and with meeting his many friends from all parts of the world. The Greatest Holy Leaf who has been unwell for long, has much improved in health and has stood the cold of the winter very well. Though confined most of the time to bed her presence leaves with the visitor a sweet feeling that it is very hard to express.
The Bahá’ís in Haifa join in wishing you all the happiest Naw-rúz greetings.
- Spiritual Assembly of Haifa,
- SOHEIL AFNÁN, Secretary.
PERSIA
It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that the friends in Persia have been sharing with us the happy news of the increasing liberty and freedom they now enjoy in their country. Ever since the establishment of the new regime and the enlightened rule of the Shah, the Bahá’ís all throughout Persia have found themselves in greater freedom as regards their religious faith than ever before. Today we find conditions still more advanced. Those who are not Bahá’ís but have always admired and respected its principles and also its adherents, find themselves in a position to express publicly through the press their personal feelings on the subject. Only those who understood fully the conditions in which the Bahá’ís lived in the past in Persia, can now realize the full import of such an unprecedented event in the history of the Cause in that country. We give below the exact translation of an article that appeared on the front page of a daily paper in Tabriz:
“They write from Tihran. On the night of the 28th of Shaban, corresponding to the 28th of Deymah, in a very imposing building at the end of the Moiz’ul-Sultan Avenue, a very important meeting was held by the Bahá’ís to commemorate the martyrdom of the Báb, which occurred on the 28th of Shaban 1266 A. H. in Tabríz. There was a very large gathering composed of people of all classes and as each entered the two halls in which the meeting was held, he took a seat on the first empty chair without any consideration of the position of that seat. Between the two adjacent halls a platform was arranged facing the seats which were all occupied. The audience was very quiet but signs of deep emotion could be detected in their faces. At the appointed hour the meeting was opened by a prayer which was chanted in a very sweet and appealing tone. Then one of the speeches which ’Abdu’l-Bahá had delivered in Europe was read and was followed by a Tablet which ’Abdu’l-Bahá had revealed for that same occasion, viz. the martyrdom of the Báb.
“After that Agha Yazdani, in accordance with the published program delivered a long address.
“After that speech there was an interval during which tea and cocoa were served to all present while the children sang beautiful songs. Then Agha Fazil Mazandarani rose and gave a detailed account of the life and the mission of the Báb describing some of His great and voluminous writings which He left to the world in spite of the fact that most of the time He was either being tortured or actually in prison.
“The above described meeting which was conducted in a most quiet and touching manner, and which showed deep spiritual feeling among those present, was concluded by a short poem and then the reading of a prayer. Indeed the whole thing reflected a world full of meaning and earnestness.
“Truly the oppression and the bigotry of the despotic regime in old Persia was in a most horrible intensity, and it always tried to kill and suppress every attempt at reform whether spiritual or for the material progress of the people. Unfortunately the province of Azerbaijan, whose inhabitants have always been active and earnest and have always welcomed every means to progress, was chosen to commit this horrible act, and bears the blame for it in the history of Persia. But now Azerbaijan with its spirit of magnanimity must attempt to compensate for the past.”
SWITZERLAND
“Entrance into the Kingdom is through the love of God, through detachment, through holiness and chastity, through truthfulness, purity, steadfastness, faithfulness and the sacrifice of life”—’ABDU’L-BAHÁ.
After a visit to the Holy Land, where one seems to have entered an inner sanctuary, one returns to the “outside world” somewhat stunned as when suddenly awakened from a pleasant dream where being is blended into a universal consciousness, to the stern reality of the every-day existence in a whirling world of contradictions and strife. Who will not agree that it is pleasant to drop the burdens of life when leaving the western shores and entering Palestine there become lost in the spiritual atmosphere that pervades the land. For he who loses himself finds himself, paradoxical as it may seem.
Palestine where so many who “walked with God” have lived and taught, is indeed a hallowed spot, and this “presence” is brought into an active reality for this generation, a renewed reality, through the existence and power of Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá who have formed here a center of attraction for the entire world. And we now have the intimate privilege of contacting with those souls who have helped, by their loving care and sacrifices, to establish this Ark of Deliverance. So one is verily drawn into a vortex of spiritual thought and experiences in this Holy Spot that stir into consciousness the latent possibilities and desires of the mind and soul. . . .
But it is only when the perspective is enlarged by distance and a review of experiences is possible, that one more fully realizes what blessings have been bestowed and what benefits derived from a visit to the Holy Land and the Holy Shrines.
Bahjí,—a few miles from ’Akká— where Bahá’u’lláh lived a part of the time after leaving confinement in ’Akká, and where He passed away, is truly a “place of prayer,” as a casual visitor remarked while looking from the veranda of the “mansion” where the extended and marvelous view is truly inspiring, and as he “breathed” the atmosphere that pervades this wonderful spot. . . .
We received from Mr. Hall of Manchester, England, an interesting clipping taken from John O’Groat Journal, a review of The Bahá’í World. It gives a very broad and sympathetic understanding of the Cause, drawing attention to the basic principles proclaimed, to its teachings of fellowship, tolerance and justice; mentions the building of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, and remarks upon the “rich and varied contents of this volume.”
In a letter from Dr. Grossmann we learn that the group of staunch believers at Esslingen, Germany, are building a Bahá’í Home, almost entirely constructed by themselves. It will be fittingly inaugurated May 24th of this year while the N. S. A. of Germany is in session. “It is a small house, containing a spacious meeting–hall, a small kitchen, a bedroom and a large attic for sleeping.” Dr. Grossmann speaks of the zeal and fresh energy that is inspiring the friends at present, and feels that the Cause in Germany has entered a new period of development. He also writes of the encouraging growth in their group at Weinheim and Heidelberg; that they are at present holding their meetings together. We thank Dr. and Frau Grossmann for their helpful interest in the International Bureau. . .
The Bureau was able to be of assistance to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada on two occasions during the year: In November we translated and sent to the European countries a letter concerning those who desire to immigrate to America. Again in January a letter was translated into German and circulated in Germany.
We hope the Friends throughout the
Bahá’í world will avail themselves of
the opportunity the conferred obligation
by the Guardian offers to the Bureau
[Page 7]
of being the “connective link”
between all the Bahá’í Centres. . . .
- Secretary International Bureau.
GERMANY
The ninth Convention of the Bahá’ís in Germany called for Whitsuntide, progressed in the Spirit of joyous harmony and in the sense of pure Brotherhood. . . .
The election for the members to the National Spiritual Assembly took place in the Bahá’í Bureau, the following members were elected and their names follow alphabetically:
- Mrs. Marta Brauna, of Karlsruhe.
- Mr. Julius Brueckner, of Goeppingen.
- Mr. Paul Gollmer, of Stuttgart.
- Dr. Herman Grossmann, of Weinheim.
- Miss Edith Horn, of Frankfurt-on-the-Main.
- Miss Anna Koestlin, of Esslingen.
- Mr. Theo. Lehne, of Berlin.
- Mrs. Alice Schwarz-Selivo, of Stuttgart.
- Mr. Karl Schweizer, of Zuffenhausen. . . .
The following cable-greeting was received from Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh:
“Haifa—Schwarz-Alexanderstrasse-Stuttgart. Convey convention delegates expression profound admiration constancy German believers overjoyed their successful resistance severe trials assure them loving continued prayers.”
Filled with a new active happiness, the friends pledged themselves to sincere co-operation and for the construction of the Great Kingdom of Peace of Bahá’u’lláh.
(Translated by H. G. Pauli, New York City, from Sonne Der Wahrheit, June, 1931.)
From Lahore, India, comes a splendid publication called The Bahá’í Movement. It gives a comprehensive summary of the principles of the Cause and its history, and will no doubt prove a very valuable aid in answering the questions of the seeker.
The letters and News Letters received from Lahore, Teheran, Geneva, Haifa, Germany and many other centers, have been the cause of much joy, bringing, as they do, word of the progress of the Cause and the unity of the friends in all parts of the world. We hope that these refreshing bulletins will continue to pour in.
- NELLIE S. FRENCH,
- International Correspondent.
IN MEMORIAM[edit]
Mrs. Claudia Coles, our beloved pioneer Bahá’í sister, passed away at her home in London on May 25th. Since last September Claudia had not been at all well, she was extremely frail, and failed much during the winter, to such an extent that she was not able to make the long trips to meetings. She grew weaker daily, and finally went to her eternal and radiant life.
One of her outstanding qualities was her generosity. One day a relative gave her a thousand dollars, and she rushed with it as quickly as she could to Mrs. de Lagnel, who was then in charge of Temple funds here, and said excitedly, “Here Lady, send this all to the Temple right away.” She was at the time working in the Government service here and was not wealthy. And that was not all she gave, either. She was wholly and absolutely devoted to the Word of God and was willing at all times to sacrifice for it.
Her spiritual enthusiasm was one of her greatest charms. She never was really very strong, and many of us remember how she would rush home from the office when she lived here, and give an afternoon tea to which she would invite many strangers. It was on such occasions that she would shine radiantly as a teacher. She was brilliant and at times would reach exalted heights. She was unique, fearless and indeed, she was one who always heralded the straight Teachings. Bahá’u’lláh’s words, “Proclaim My Message before the people and do not fear,” might be considered her slogan, if you can use such a term about spiritual things. She knew the teachings and she had courage.
A Memorial Service for her has been held or is going to be held in every large center in this country. She was well known. Her good deeds have been legion; the half will never be known, for she was not one to herald these things. She gave liberally and spontaneously to everything that was for the Cause, and did as much as she could for those who were hungry and distressed. She never thought of herself; had she done so, she would have put into practice the divine injunction “Economy is a great treasure,”—but she did possess and practice that other divine law “Generosity is a quality of God.” She was generous with herself; in giving herself to service at all times even when she was tired and sick enough to be in bed; and she was generous with all of her possessions.
She will be forever remembered, for her deeds and life are bound up with the history of the Cause in this country and elsewhere.
The funeral service for Claudia Coles was held on May 27th. A letter received by Mr. Lunt reads: “Your cable came in time and I immediately bought flowers and placed cards upon them, stating they were from the American Bahá’í Friends, with their deep love. The cable was read during the Bahá’í funeral service, which was held previous to the trip into the country for the service at a little church and interment in the country cemetery near where her daughter has a cottage. The day was wonderful, bright and sunny and the friends came a goodly number— considering that the service was at noon. Lady Blomfield, Miss Irwin and Mrs. Ford all took part in the service, as well as several others. A cable from Shoghi Effendi was read: ‘Deeply grieved passing such staunch indefatigable Bahá’í worker. Assure her daughter, relatives, friends, heartfelt condolences, fervent prayers.’ (Signed) SHOGHI.
“We shall miss Claudia more than words can tell.”
Word comes of the passing of two members of the original group formed in Spokane twenty–four years ago, by Mrs. Isabella Brittingham. Mr. Washington McCormick, passed into the Abhá Kingdom on November 27th, 1930, while engaged in giving the message, and Mr. Leon A. L’Ehmann at his home in Lynwood, California, on May 10th, 1931.
On Friday, May 15th, the body of W. H. Cline was laid to rest at Burlingame, California. A number of San Francisco and East Bay friends were present at the last ceremony, where Episcopalian and Bahá’í prayers were offered for the departed. To Mrs. Cline, an active worker in the Burlingame Bahá’í group, we send our heartfelt sympathy.
On April 3rd, Mrs. Elizabeth Scheffield, a beloved Bahá’í sister of Brooklyn, N. Y., received the summons to enter the unseen world. Mrs. Scheffield has been a faithful, devoted, comprehending Bahá’í for ten years or more, during which time her estimate of life and standards of living reflected the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh which were so dear to her.
ANNOUNCEMENT[edit]
BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE
The Business Manager, Mrs. McDaniel, has given permission that the Bahá’í Magazine may be sent out for $2.50 a year instead of $3.00 a year to all new subscribers during the months of July and August. This is to try out a plan encouraging new subscriptions during the Summer months. Some of the friends may have been thinking of giving a subscription to some friend or friends and this reduction will mean a saving for them and a pleasure, we believe, to the recipient of the Magazine.
IMPORTANT NOTICE[edit]
The Committee for Vol. IV of the Bahá’í World would like to hear from the friend who was in Salt Lake City at the time that ’Abdu’l-Bahá visited there so that some facts relating to that visit may be recorded in the Bahá’í World. If anyone has any information on this subject it will be greatly appreciated if shared with this committee.
- MRS. NELLIE S. FRENCH,
- Chairman Bahá’í World Committee,
- Vol. IV., 501 Bellefontainc St., Pasadena,
- California.
PUBLISHING COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS[edit]
GUARDIAN TRANSLATES NABÍL’S HISTORY OF EARLY DAYS OF CAUSE “THE DAWN BREAKERS”
The National Spiritual Assembly has recently received a manuscript of Nabíl’s Narrative, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi, which represents eight months of constant work on his part. The Guardian has made this supreme effort and sacrifice, in order that this important book should be ready for circulation as soon as possible. He feels that the time has come when the world must be made familiar with the facts connected with the history of the Cause. It will be the most valuable historical document ever available to the Western believers. It contains accounts of thrilling episodes which took place in the early days of the Cause; accounts of the inspired deeds of those first to accept the Teachings, who, fired with zeal left everything to follow the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, and proclaim their allegiance to their Cause, and who later with exalted joy gave their lives.
The Standard Edition will be bound in green leather and stamped in gold. There will be a colored Frontispiece, showing the Shrine of the Báb, and twenty reproductions of the original Tablets of the Báb written to the Nineteen Letters of the Living and the one to Bahá’u’lláh. There will be two hundred pages of illustrations and approximately four hundred and fifteen pages of text. The price will be $7.50.
There will also be a limited Edition of one hundred and fifty copies. Shoghi Effendi has graciously offered to autograph this de luxe Edition. Each volume will bear a serial number from one to one hundred and fifty. It will be beautifully bound in green morocco leather (the color of the Báb’s family) lined in silk moire, tooled in gold and printed on special paper. The price of the Autograph Edition will be $35.00, and will be sold by subscription only.
In a short time, every believer will receive a notice of advance subscription, The National Spiritual Assembly through the Publishing Committee, earnestly urge all to purchase a copy of this book, for by doing so they will be carrying out the expressed wishes of the Guardian. The proceeds received from the sale of the book will go to the Temple Fund. It is estimated that the printing cost will be more than $8,000.00. If every one will order a copy, as soon as they receive the advance sale notice, the whole amount will be obtained, and they will at the same time be contributing toward the Temple Fund. You will note that a 10% discount will be given until Dec. 1st, 1931, for the Standard Edition, making the price $6.75.
SPECIAL NOTICE
PRAYER BOOK—To be sold for 10c.
- Bound in brown paper. Contains a
- selection of prayers for daily use.
- The Publishing Committee will fill
- orders in lots of 10 for $1.00 only.
- Smaller quantities can be obtained
- from your Local Assembly.
WHAT IS THE BAHÁ’Í MOVEMENT?—
- By Dr. Esselmont. Small
- leaflet recently reprinted. The Publishing
- Committee will fill orders in
- lots of 500 for $3.25; 1,000 for $6.50.
THE BAHÁ’Í MOVEMENT—
- Bound in green paper. Giving an
- outline of the history of the Bahá’í
- Faith and quotations from the Utterances.
- Sold in lots of 10 for $1.00.
- Single copies can be obtained from
- your Local Assembly.
PRAYER BOOK—Bound in blue paper.
- A new edition has recently been
- completed and ready for distribution.
- The Publishing Committee wishes
- to announce that it now contains the
- latest translation by Shoghi Effendi
- of the Ahmad Tablet. Price, 50c.
HIDDEN WORDS—Bound in blue
- cloth, formerly 50c, has now been
- reduced to 35c.
THE REALITY OF MAN—Bound
- in dark red paper. A compilation
- from the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
- relative to the mind, soul and spirit.
- Price, 50c.
STAR TABLET OF THE BÁB—
- Reproduced on colored cardboard;
- The script is made in the shape of a
- star, and is said to contain many derivations
- of the word “Bahá.” A
- most interesting Bahá’í document to
- have framed. Price, 50c.
SPECIAL MENTION
TREASURES OF THE EAST—The
- Life of Nine Oriental Countries,
- by Zia Bagdadi. The author has succeeded
- in creating an interest in the
- life and customs of many Eastern
- countries. He has also given many
- interesting pictures of important
- scenes in Bahá’í history, familiar to
- all who have visited the Holy Land.
- This book can be obtained through
- the Publishing Committee.
- Price, $2.00 net.
THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE—
- In view of the
- present unsettled world conditions,
- the Committee deems it important to
- remind the friends that the two volumes
- entitled Promulgation of Universal
- Peace contain ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s
- direct Message to the American people,
- expounded in leading Universities
- and Churches and dealing with
- the inmost reality of our social problems.
- In no other country did the
- beloved Master so fully expound the
- character of the New Civilization to
- arise by the power of Bahá’u’lláh.
- Many students of the Teachings
- have possibly not yet secured copies
- of these volumes for their Bahá’í
- Library. If unobtainable from your
- Local Assembly, they can be ordered
- from the Publishing Committee. Per
- Volume, $2.50. The two volumes,
- $5.00.
FOUNDATION OF WORLD UNITY—
- A careful selection was
- made a few years ago from the Promulgation
- of Universal Peace and
- published under the title of Foundation
- of World Unity. This book can
- be recommended to those who desire
- a brief presentation of ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s
- addresses. 112 pages, paper
- cover, 75c.
- BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE,
- P. O. Box No. 348, Grand Central
