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Bahá’í News

March 1983

Bahá’í Year 139-140

‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Green Acre, August 1912

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GREATLY DISMAYED LAMENTABLE NEWS EXECUTION HIYÁDAT SÍYÁVUSHÍ HANGED SHÍRÁZ JANUARY 1, THIRD OF FIVE BAHÁ’ÍS SENTENCED TO DEATH 23 SEPTEMBER 1982. APPREHENSIVE FATE REMAINING TWO, FARHÁD QUDRAT AND GURJ-‘ALÍ MUMTÁZÍ, ALSO TWO OTHERS IN ZANJÁN, ‘ABBÁS AYDIL-KHÁNÍ AND ASADU’LLÁH ‘AHDÍ-ZÁDIH, BOTH LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS RECENTLY CONDEMNED TO DEATH, PENDING RATIFICATION FROM AUTHORITIES TEHERAN.

SHARE NEWS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND MEDIA.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
JANUARY 3, 1983

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Bahá’í News

Amatu‘l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s history making journey to Canada	1
The story of Monsalvat and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s comments about the spot	4
The sixth annual Agnes B. Alexander Award is presented in Hawaii	11
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe	12

Bahá’í News is published monthly 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. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of address should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates: one year, $12 U.S.; two years, $20 U.S. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1983, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s historic journey

The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum undertook an historic journey to North America last August and September that covered some 20,000 miles and carried her to 45 centers in every Canadian province including the Magdalen Islands, Québec and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the Yukon Territory and Labrador. In addition, she visited Greenland and Iceland.

Deeply impressed

Throughout her travels she met many Indians and Eskimos whose spiritual receptivity deeply impressed her. In a cable to the World Centre, Amatu’l-Bahá expressed her conviction that the new spirit manifested by believers of the Eskimo and Indian races, coupled with the forces released through the travels in the western hemisphere by the Camino del Sol (Trail of Light) teaching teams, the holding of the Continental Indigenous Council, and the large attendance of these friends at the International Conference in Montreal, has created a new situation favorable to wide-scale teaching among the Indian and Eskimo peoples of Canada, and an increasing application of their eagerness and outstanding capacity for service among not only their own people but all mankind at this critical time in human history.

A warm personal reception was accorded the Hand of the Cause not only by her Bahá’í hosts but by many high officials including the President of Iceland, the Eskimo Premier and Danish Governor of Greenland, the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Premier and Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, the Commissioner of the Yukon Territory, and the Regional Director of Baffin Island. Local Bahá’ís enthusiastically arranged excellent meetings and publicity for their distinguished guest.

Following is an account of Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s visit to Lillooet, British Columbia, to meet with non-Bahá’í native leaders. The letter, written by a local Bahá’í, is characteristic of her visits to native centers and expresses the feelings of many Canadian Bahá’ís who had the opportunity to meet the Hand of the Cause of God during her visit.

This account originally appeared in the September/October 1982 issue of Bahá’í Canada, published each month by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada:

“A bright yellow twin-engine plane appeared in the distance, passed over our heads and turned further down the valley to make its approach for landing. The day was cloudless and warm, the big slide area on the mountain across the plateau and above the airport was actively sending showers of dust and gravel cascading down the mountainside. This activity, however, was inconsequential compared to the turmoil and excitement in the hearts of the handful of people gathered on the runway to greet the plane now taxiing to a stop before them, for it was at that moment that the dream of an historic and wonderful meeting was rapidly turning into a reality.

“The door opened and we all stepped forward eagerly to greet the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, her traveling companion; Violette Nakhjavání; National Spiritual Assembly representative Jameson Bond; and the pilot, David Hadden. It was August 21, 1982, in Lillooet, British Columbia.

The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum (second from right) talks with some of the friends during her visit last August to the third North American Bahá’í Native Council held on the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta, Canada.

[Page 2] The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum (second from left) is shown on her arrival at the airport in Lillooet, British Columbia, last August 21 with (left to right) pilot David Hadden; her traveling companion, Violette Nakhjavání; and Jameson Bond, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada.

“It had all begun a few months before when the local native chiefs and spiritual leaders of the Indian people of this area responded positively to our offer to ask Rúḥíyyih Khánum to come to meet with and speak to them and their people. The few of us Bahá’ís who were to have the bounty of being asked to help organize this meeting were moved by the realization that these native leaders understood as well, or better than we did, the significance of her visit to their area.

“We were humbled by the respect, honor and prayerful dedication they showed all through the early preparations, from the cooking of the food to the spiritual preparation of the building in which she was to meet the people. Everyone involved, without exception, Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, was equally excited by the prospect of Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s visit and what it meant to the spiritual development of this small corner of the world.

“During the afternoon of the day of her arrival, we brought the four visitors by car to the school on Thunder Bird Heights which had been transformed by local native spiritual leader George Abbott, to a state befitting the

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‘The few of us Bahá’ís who were to have the bounty of being asked to help organize this meeting were moved by the realization that these native leaders understood as well, or better than we did, the significance of her visit to their area.’

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visit of a respected world leader. The room was decorated with flowers, pictures, carpets and comfortable furniture for the honored guests, then George prayed for hours according to the custom of his ancient Indian religion to prepare and sanctify the place for the coming of, in his words, the ‘very holy lady.’

“Shortly before the party was to enter the room one of the people who had helped to decorate the room excitedly said to me, ‘We’ve got to get a white sheet to drape over the couch she is to sit on! I saw it all in a vision last night and this is how it should look.’ A white sheet? The couch looked fine the way it was—however, a white sheet was found and just as Rúḥíyyih Khánum came in the door it was hurriedly thrown over the seat of honor and straightened up. You can imagine our surprise when, in her opening words, the Hand of the Cause said she was so moved and so very touched when she came in and saw this white sheet being placed on the couch, for it brought back to her memories of her first visit with the Indian people when she went to the home of a very poor family and at that time they too had rushed in ahead of her and thrown a white sheet across the place where she was to sit as guest of honor.

“The whole weekend was like that: moving, powerful, tense, warm ... People had visions, tears were shed, and emotions generally ran high. George Abbott said that his wife felt the spirit of the gathering so strongly even though she was unable to attend, that she felt, ‘This is a turning point for our community. This place will never be the same again.’

“Two local chiefs came, from Fountain Reserve and the Thunder Bird Reserve where the gathering was held. They made introductory speeches and welcomed Rúḥíyyih Khánum with, as they said, ‘open hearts and open minds.’ During the question period, George Abbott asked of Rúḥíyyih Khá-

[Page 3] num the things he felt the people of the area would want to know, so that all those present would be able to carry her message to those who were unable to attend. He asked several times if she would elaborate on the message she gave them, which was that in the Bahá’í writings it promises that the native people will illumine the whole earth if they become spiritualized and embrace the message of Bahá’u’lláh.

Bountiful feast

“Rúḥíyyih Khánum likened the Faith to a bountiful feast which everyone was invited to take part in. Some would choose to try everything and others would select only the parts of the feast they felt the need for. The important thing, she said, was that everyone should take something. She also said that the significant thing about this particular region is that, of all the areas of Canada, this is the one that had invited her to bring this message. At this point, Violette Nakhvavání explained to the gathering that in time to come people would come from miles away to see where this meeting was held and to question people about what the Hand of the Cause had said. Since this was not a Bahá’í gathering but a meeting organized by local native chiefs and the Lillooet Friendship Center, it was quite unique in its historic perspective.

“One of the highlights of the weekend was the gift giving at the end. One local native man who helped to organize the gathering explained to Rúḥíyyih Khánum that he was a poor man materially but a rich man spiritually because his small sons were traditional dancers and his gift to her would be to have his sons dance for her. This Eagle dance, so beautifully performed by four small boys in their colorful costumes, obviously delighted Rúḥíyyih Khánum as she positively beamed throughout the entire performance and said the photographs she asked to be taken of her with the boys would be a prized possession when she returned home to Haifa.

“Before we knew it we were back on the airport runway. (Rúḥíyyih Khánum arrived in the old farm truck intended to carry the luggage. ‘I like trucks!’ she announced. ‘I’ll go with him.’) Another hot, cloudless day and the dry wind blew away our tears. The rock slides on the mountain, which had been active all week long, had suddenly ceased and the bright yellow twin-engine plane soared into the valley sky and vanished beyond the mountains. We turned to each other and realized that whatever else seemed the same, the spirit of this region had been altered forever.”

Among the many friends with whom the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum spoke during the North American Bahá’í Native Council meeting in Alberta, Canada, last August was Dorothy Francis, a Saulteaux Indian who is a former member of the Continental Indigenous Council.

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Monsalvat: The Mount of Peace

Since its founding nearly 90 years ago, untold numbers of visitors have flocked to that dearly loved spot, Green Acre, on the banks of the Piscataqua River near the southernmost tip of Maine.

Bahá’ís and their friends have fond memories of the peace and spirituality they sensed in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s room, a place on the Green Acre property that has been especially reserved for prayers; of the fascinating accounts they have heard or read of the Master’s visit to Green Acre in 1912; and of the fellowship and learning they shared during courses and other activities at Green Acre through the years.

Sarah Jane Farmer, the founder of Green Acre, was an extraordinary woman with a powerful personality. Her father was a well known inventor, her mother a humanitarian. Just months after the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1921,

Dr. H.T.D. Rost, the author of this article on ‘Monsalvat: The Mount of Peace,’ and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Green Acre in 1912, is a Bahá’í pioneer from the United States who serves on the faculty of the School of Education at Kenyatta University College in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Rost is author of The Brilliant Stars: The Bahá’í Faith and the Education of Children, published in 1979 by George Ronald.

Miss Farmer, while at a meeting in Boston, had an idea that was to become the basis of the Green Acre Conferences. Years later she explained:

“Green Acre was established for the purpose of bringing together all who were looking earnestly toward the New Day which seemed to be breaking over the entire world. The motive was to find the Truth, the Reality, underlying all religious forms, and to make points of contact in order to promote the unity necessary for the ushering in of the coming Day of God.”¹

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In 1900, while aboard ship en route to Europe on a trip to benefit her health, Miss Farmer heard about a great spiritual Figure, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who was at that time a prisoner.

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On July 4, 1894, the ceremony that opened Green Acre was held, a ceremony that ended with the raising of a flag of world peace.²

The Green Acre Conferences attracted many prominent figures: John Greenleaf Whittier, Edward Everett Hale, Booker T. Washington, William Dean Howells, Jacob Riis, Joseph Jefferson, and Anagarika H. Dharmapala, to name but a few. The lectures were often well attended. In those early days, activities at Green Acre were centered around the Inn, a large wooden hotel building; tents that were pitched nearby; and a few other buildings. But the Green Acre property in the 1890s already included as well a tract of land approximately two miles from the Inn known as Monsalvat, and sometimes as Sunset Hill.

Sarah Farmer had not as yet become a Bahá’í. But she developed some notable ideas for the development of Green Acre, the Monsalvat property, and the nearby Rosemary property in connection with what she termed “the Green Acre Ideal.” That “Ideal” was expressed in a letter written by Miss Farmer in May 1898:

“The ideal which I have for Green Acre is to free it from obligations of all kinds, and then to put it—its cottages, its tents, and all else—at the service of men and women who are searching after righteousness, and rely upon their voluntary co-operation to meet the needful expense. We need men and women of consecrated lives to unite in this work, and carry it forward, when the time comes that everything is free. We need an experienced and scientific farmer to cultivate the land and raise all the fruits and vegetables, milk and eggs which shall be needed for the maintenance of the body, and for the care of the dumb creatures who help cultivate the land.

“When this is attained and in working order, when the roads shall have been built to Monsalvat, and the hill crowned with cottages for the homes of the teachers, we shall be ready to build the school.

“I would build the Monsalvat School for the Comparative Study of Religion first of all, because so many young men and women stand ready to consecrate their lives to service in foreign fields. Before going to such service, they should decide before God which one is the chosen field. They should familiarize themselves with the language, literature, and history of that people; especially they should become acquainted with the purest ideals which have actuated these races in times past; they should be able to find the unity of God in every individual, and by making points of contact, bring that individual to a fuller realization of this unity.

“For this end it is necessary to bring to us for permanent residence men like the Swami, who have risen above all temptations of the lower self; men like Dharmapala, who have consecrated their lives to the needs of the world.

“I would have in this school the most consecrated Christians whom I could find—men and women who can live the life of a child of God and do the work which Jesus did. I would have the most devout Catholic I could find; the most simple, learned Jew; the most devoted Swami. I would like as many representatives of the great faiths of Persia, Turkey, India, China, Japan,

[Page 5] as can be brought to us. The countries of Europe, too: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia. (The Bahá’í Revelation was not known at Green Acre in 1898.) Greece must be represented, at least by teachers of the native tongue, that no time be lost when the worker is once on foreign soil. The time on Monsalvat would not be wasted, for the worker would learn then the conquest of Self—the most important requirement of all. He would learn that it is not he, but the Christ working in him, who is to be the power.

“At the same time, I would have at such a school students of sociology, fitting themselves to go out and take charge of settlements in the new cities that are to be formed; graduated kindergartners; skilled agriculturists; consecrated artists, making themselves ready to go out and found the City Beautiful in any part of God’s world to which they may be called. That this City Beautiful may be a visible illustration of the kingdom of God, the workers must be able to go out ‘without money and without price,’ and to call to themselves, by the spoken word, all that is needful for bodily comfort. They must know how to wisely administer the treasures of the world, gold and silver, for the good of all, during the transitory stage while they are transforming men into conscious sons of God. They must be able to meet and satisfy the sense of justice of men who see only the financial plane of life, before they can induce them to transfer their lives to the plane of Sonship and inheritance of all things.

“On this mountain top I want also schools for boys and girls who leave isolated farms in search of opportunities for study, such boys and girls as are turned away from Moody’s every year for want of room. I want to provide schools for agricultural training, manual training, home culture,—in fact, for everything that pertains to the equipment of the individual. I want men and women of insight to study those brought under their charge and see how individually they can best be developed to meet the needs of the world.

“At Rosemary I want to open a School for Motherhood; from the alleys and the basements I want to bring the poor mothers, burdened with the

‘Left: Sarah Jane Farmer, the founder of the Green Acre Bahá’í School, ‘an extraordinary woman with a powerful personality.’

Below: A large sign bids one welcome to the Green Acre Bahá’í School which was blessed in 1912 by a visit from the Center of the Covenant, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

care of families already too large; mothers whose thoughts are full of murder because of the new life intrusted to their keeping and soon to be brought forth. I want to bring these mothers out into the rest and beauty of the country, to reveal to them the sanctity and glory of Motherhood, and to teach them the power of the spoken word, and the absoluteness of the effect which every thought in their minds has upon the unborn child. I want to put pictures of the Madonna and Child upon the wall; to bring music into the household, and, above all, to put at its head a great Mother-Heart, capable of advising and guiding them. Into this beautiful home I want to bring the young girls from twelve to fifteen, who, through ignorance and lack of understanding, are facing motherhood with thoughts only of the disgrace about to come upon them. I want to teach these children their obligations to the unborn child, and how to mend the broken threads of life. I want to build some cottages in the orchard, which shall be consecrated homes for men

[Page 6] and women who are childless,—homes in which infants who are friendless foundlings can be taken and trained by the most spiritual kindergartners, until they are ready for the Monsalvat School. I want also to receive into each of these homes at least one aged person to be prepared for the large life to be ventured upon, and to teach the children reverence for age.

“I am planning industries that may give employment to these different classes of people, that all may share in maintaining the common life. Is this not enough for one band of workers to found and systematize as object lessons for all others?”³

The early development of Green Acre posed difficulties and problems, particularly financial problems, for Miss Farmer and others involved in the enterprise, and she was not always in good health. In 1900, while aboard ship en route to Europe on a trip to benefit her health, Miss Farmer heard about a great spiritual Figure, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who was at that time a prisoner. She changed her plans, traveled to the Holy Land, there met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, was profoundly moved by the experience, and became a Bahá’í. After her return to America, Bahá’ís began to visit Green Acre and to participate in the programs. Notable among them was the great Bahá’í teacher and scholar, Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl.

Sarah Farmer wrote a number of letters to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and received at least 28 Tablets in return. She may have written such a letter expressing further thoughts about the proposed Monsalvat School in the fall or winter of 1901, as indicated in a portion of a Tablet from the Master addressed to her:

“In regard to the school which thou didst think of and its organization: I ask God that thou shouldst become confirmed in it with all order and command. But now it is necessary first to organize the Cause of God in those countries; then, order and preparation. Therefore arise, through a power from God, in organizing the Cause of God—that is, the diffusion of the fragrances of God, promotion of the Word of God and heralding unto the nations and peoples with a pre-existent power the appearance of the Most Great Sun.”⁴

What had Sarah Farmer written to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that brought this response? How had her thoughts about Monsalvat and Green Acre changed after she became a Bahá’í?

A few years later, the issue arose of the possibility of the erection of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Bahá’í House of Worship) on Monsalvat. But by that time steps already were being taken toward the eventual erection of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in the Chicago area (the present Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette). In 1907, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá declared in another Tablet to Sarah Farmer:

He is God!

“O thou favored maid-servant in the Threshold of the Almighty!

“Thou art always in my memory and before my eyes. I am aware of thy service to the Kingdom of Abha, and I day by day seek and beg for more confirmations in thy behalf; and I am assured that thou shalt be enabled to render great services. And a ‘Mashrikul-Azkar’ (i.e., Bahá’í Temple of Worship) shall necessarily be built

In this photograph, taken August 17, 1912, the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is shown as He strolled the grounds at Green Acre with several of the Persian and American friends.

[Page 7] upon Mon’salvat (literally, “Mount of Peace”), but a little patience is needed. I have written Jenabi Khan in detail concerning this, and he shall certainly explain it to you. It is our purpose that, God willing, thou wilt attain to that which is your utmost wish.”⁵

This Tablet, the original of which is in the U.S. National Bahá’í Archives in Wilmette, was translated by ‘Ali-Kuli Khan on October 26, 1907. Mr. Khan, who undoubtedly was the “Jenabi Khan” referred to by the Master, explained in a letter of the same date that was attached to the original Tablet and his translation in the Archives:

“In my Tablet, our Lord says:—‘You had written concerning the building of Mashrik-El-Azkar on Monsalvat:—this thought is very excellent and opportune, and it is certain that ere-long it shall be built;—and this is an irrefutable matter!’ ” (i.e., the building of the Temple on Monsalvat is an irrefutable matter).⁶

Mr. Khan explained further that in his Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá it was stated that since efforts already had been made in Chicago for three years toward the eventual erection there of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, the building of a second Temple would be impractical at that time owing to a lack of funds.⁷ Mr. Khan continued:

“Then He (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) goes on to say how for years the believers insisted upon undertaking the erection of the Temple at Askabab (sic), and how He waited for fifteen years and did not begin, until He had raised funds enough to push on the building without interruption.—The point is the believers in this country must see that first one Temple is built before they start on another; and this is true since we all know how lack of funds would make it impossible to (?) do otherwise.—Then He ends my Tablet by saying that ‘Especially (the building of the Bahá’í Temple) on Monsalvat which is the gathering place of all nations:—I am in this thought; God willing We shall secure the means, and you shall engage (in building it).’ ”⁸

In 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made His historic journey to the United States and Canada. The Master came to Green Acre from Dublin, New Hampshire, in an automobile brought for Him by Alfred E. Lunt⁹ and was at Green Acre from August 16 to August 23.

“... Day and night, He was occupied in virtually endless discussions with individuals who sought His presence and in speaking with larger groups on topics as diverse as the interests of the people present. Maḥmúd noted, on August 17: ‘many of the fortune-tellers, Spiritualists and ascetics, came there (to Green Acre) every year to spread their superstitious views. The address of the Beauty of the Covenant

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‘... ‘Abdu’l-Bahá turned to Mrs. Edwards and said, “You may tell Miss Farmer that her visions and ideals of Monsalvat will be realized. I do not give this as a prophecy, it is already a fact.” ’

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(‘Abdu’l-Bahá) demolished and destroyed their cobwebs of superstitions. They were checked to such a degree that some of these imposters who in previous years delivered lectures contrary to the Cause of God, now came to His Holy Presence, bowed before Him and expressed repentance.’ ”¹⁰

At that time Sarah Farmer was ill and confined to a sanitarium in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. But she was able to spend a few happy hours with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Green Acre. While at Green Acre, the Master visited the Monsalvat site. Mahmood Eben Ismail, author of the Book of Wonderful Signs, a first-hand account of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s travels in the West, explained in his narrative of August 21:

“In the afternoon He (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) went to the house of Mrs. Ives. When a number of the friends had gathered, He went with them to the hill of Monsalvat. As soon as He arrived, about four hundred persons in unison and modulation sang the song of His Praise. He addressed this gathering on the necessity of founding the school for the investigation of religions which Miss Farmer had desired to found on that mountain. A photograph of this gathering was taken.

“This gathering was marked with a burst of enthusiasm, ardor and a strong attraction which seemed to draw all hearts. The day was auspicious.”¹¹

Unfortunately, no detailed record of this particular talk by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has yet come to light.

On that same day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked with a group of people on Monsalvat and described where the House of Worship and its accessories would be located.¹² Key people to whom we turn for first-hand information are Alfred E. Lunt, who later became secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada, and Ivy Drew Edwards, a Bahá’í of good repute according to inquiries made by this writer.

Ivy Drew Edwards evidently wrote at least three detailed accounts of that auspicious event on Monsalvat, all of which are basically consistent with each other but differ in certain minor details.¹³ This is one of her eyewitness accounts:

“Abdul Baha arrived at Green Acre on a Friday in August 1912 and the first time that Ivy Edwards saw him was the first night that he was here ...

“After he finished speaking at the top of Monsalvat, he came down to take the carriage, and as he came down, Miss Farmer’s secretary Celia Richmond (of North Adams, Massachusetts) came up to Mrs. Edwards and said, ‘Miss Farmer would want to have me ask Abdul Baha go to these places that she felt were sacred on Monsalvat’ and asked her if she would ask Abdul Baha if he would go. Then Mrs. Edwards asked him if he would go and he said ‘Yes.’ Mrs. Edwards realized that Abdul Baha could not walk all that distance so she asked Parry Tobey if he would drive him and he said he would and then Abdul Baha entered the carriage with the two interpreters, Ahmad and Fareed.

“Those who walked around with the Master were Fannie M. Morse, Margaret Klebs, Julia Culver, Fred Lunt, Celia Richmond, Ivy Edwards. He drove as far as the old well, then he dismissed the carriage. He walked from there to the beach (sic) grove and paused at the beach (sic) grove and offered a prayer, near a large boulder. Then he walked through several fields, talking as he went, waving his hands, first to the right and then to the left, as he talked, returning just below where the people were gathered. Dr. Leroy’s car was

[Page 8] there waiting for him. Then he turned and asked Mr. Lunt to take a photograph of them. While he was taking the photograph, Mrs. Edwards was thinking about Miss Farmer’s ideals and visions about Monsalvat and Abdul Baha turned to Mrs. Edwards and said, ‘You may tell Miss Farmer that her visions and ideals of Monsalvat will be realized. I do not give this as a prophecy, it is already a fact.’ Mrs. Edwards did not understand the Master’s statement that it was not a prophecy, but a fact, so she asked Janabe Fazel in 1920 when he was here about it and he explained to her the buildings were already erected on the plane of reality (that is why so many have seen them in visions through the years).”¹⁴

Alfred E. Lunt, also an eyewitness, wrote not only about the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár on Monsalvat, but of the “great institution of learning” that would be built, as decreed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, near it. Significantly, this was included in his “Report of the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada—1931-32”:

“We can never forget the Master’s prophetic saying, when He stood on Mount Salvat, in Green Acre, and definitely pointed to the spot where the second Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in America would be built, and beside it, the great institution of learning. These projects, He said, were ordained matters.”¹⁵

In connection with Alfred Lunt’s reference to “the great institution of learning” on Monsalvat, other respected Bahá’ís including Horace Holley, Louise Boyle, ‘Ali-Kuli Khan, and Ivy Drew Edwards wrote about a “university” or “Bahá’í university” or “international university” or “spiritual university” or “university of the higher sciences” or “great university” on Monsalvat.¹⁶ The term “university” evidently was inferred from a statement made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

A further account of the future of Green Acre and Monsalvat as envisaged by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was offered by William H. Randall, one-time administrator at Green Acre, in 1922:

“When I was in Haifa in 1919, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talked to me about Green Acre and requested that I do all I could to keep the foundation of Green Acre a living issue because He told me that someday Green Acre would be the Acca of America and would be the greatest spiritual center in America for the gathering of all peoples. When there in 1912, He went to the top of Mt. Salvat, which is a part of the Green Acre property there, and He told us that on this spot a great Mashreq’ul-Azkar would be built and that the whole hill would be covered with institutions of learning, science, and religion, and to impress us with the importance of this Center, He said already it had been created and was not a prophecy alone and ‘the Mashreq’ul-Azkar hung low over that place.’ ”¹⁷

The friends gather for another exciting session at the Sarah Farmer Inn, one of the landmarks that Bahá’ís through the years have come to appreciate and to love during visits to the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Maine.

After ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Green Acre, Sarah Farmer was taken from the sanitarium, where she had suffered for several years under poor conditions, to her home in Eliot, Maine. Before her passing in 1916, she

“... prayed that Green Acre might live and flourish and become the great educational and spiritual center that Abdu’l-Baha predicted for it, a Center of advanced service, a flag of peace, a torch of higher education and a kingdom of unity, the dwelling place of God’s approval.”¹⁸

Sarah Farmer’s physical remains were buried in Eliot. But the spirit of her great hopes and vision for Monsalvat and Green Acre live on.

The beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, described Monsalvat as “... that spot blessed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ...”¹⁹ During his years as Guardian, the vision of a great university or institution of learning at Green Acre and Monsalvat continued. About 1936, Glenn A. Shook, a notable Bahá’í scholar and writer, submitted plans for the establishment of a college at Green Acre. In his reply through his secretary, the Guardian explained:

“Now with reference to your plans for the establishment of a Bahá’í college: the Guardian has carefully read and considered the views and suggestions you have expressed. While he views with favour your idea of founding such an educational institution in so important and promising a center as Green Acre he nevertheless feels that the whole plan is too big an enterprize for the American believers to undertake at present, when both their numbers and their resources are comparatively so limited. He thinks it now quite premature for them to launch themselves into such experiments which do not only require continued and considerable financial support, but also a good number of competent and experienced educationalists. The resources of the Community are obviously too limited to allow it to take such a step, particularly in these exceptionally hard and trying times.”²⁰

Through the years to the present, conscious attempts have been made occasionally to develop Green Acre toward a Bahá’í university. But it has

[Page 9] always seemed that the time was not yet ripe for more than a few preliminary actions. We can recall with a smile ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s gentle reminder to Miss Farmer that “a little patience is needed.”

The splendid future of Monsalvat and its environs may also be envisaged through an understanding of the nature of a Bahá’í House of Worship and its ancillary structures, including institutions of learning such as universities and colleges, and the various other means through which Bahá’í universities and colleges may be established.²¹ These include the evolution of Bahá’í summer schools, summer-winter schools, institutes, and similar institutions toward university status; the alteration of Bahá’í schools offering formal education, such as secondary (high) schools; the possible evolution of such educational programs as Bahá’í conferences or teaching classes; possible evolution from such humble circumstances as the establishment of a Bahá’í home; and other possibilities that are not yet envisaged.²²

In the case of Monsalvat, there is, first, no doubt that a magnificent Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will become its great crown. Where, in the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or the books and letters of Shoghi Effendi, specific mention of accessories or dependencies of Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs is given, colleges or universities are quite often included.²³ For example, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá declared in a Tablet:

“The Temple is the most great foundation of the world of humanity and it hath many branches. Although the Temple is the place of worship, with it is connected a hospital, pharmacy, pilgrims’ house, school for the orphans, and a university for the study of high sciences. Every Temple is connected with these five things ... The Temple is not only a place for worship; nay, it is perfect in every way.”²⁴

Thus, strong additional evidence exists that there must be a university or great institution of learning on Monsalvat, but that it should become an integral part of the organic whole: a complex of institutions of social service whose focal point is the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. The planners of the future can draw inspiration from the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, and from the ideals of Sarah Farmer, for the development of that powerful organism.

Second, the great institution of learning on Monsalvat has, in a sense, been in the process of establishment ever since that day a short time after the passing of Bahá’u’lláh when Miss Farmer’s thoughts led to the foundation of Green Acre, for, by 1913, it had come under the control of Bahá’ís and

---

‘... He told us that on this spot a great Mashreq’ul-Azkar would be built and that the whole hill would be covered with institutions of learning, science, and religion, and ... He said already it had been created and was not a prophecy alone ...’

---

eventually achieved its present status as a Bahá’í school. As explained by the Guardian, such Bahá’í institutions of learning as Green Acre “... bid fair to evolve into the Bahá’í universities of the future.”²⁵ Thus, as Green Acre develops and prospers, the day of realization of the glory of the Mount of Peace will be drawn ever closer.

Bahá’ís all over the world share the hope expressed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for Green Acre during His historic visit to that memorable spot in 1912:

“Are you well and happy? This is a delightful spot; the scenery is beautiful and an atmosphere of spirituality halos everything. In the future, God willing, Green Acre shall become a great center, the cause of the unity of the world of humanity, the cause of uniting hearts and binding together the east and the west. This is my hope.”²⁶

FOOTNOTES

1. Statement of Sarah Farmer cited in Horace Holley and Louise Boyle, “Green Acre and the Ideal of World Unity,” The Bahá’í World: Vol. II (New York: The Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1928), p. 151.
2. Ibid., p. 152.
3. The Green Acre Ideal: Extract from a Letter written by Miss Farmer (1898) in answer to the query: “What is the Green Acre Ideal? (n.p.): (n.n.), (n.d.), pp. 2-4.
4. Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Sarah Farmer, trans. Mirza Ameen, May 1, 1902, cited in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas: Vol. II (New York: Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1940), p. 288. Published Tablets to Sarah Farmer are on pp. 278-304 of Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas, Vol. II.
5. Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Sarah Farmer, trans. A.K. Khan, October 26, 1907, cited in H.T. Rost, “Monsalvat Research Progress Report; A Report of the Department of Institute Development, a Committee of the Green Acre Council; April 19, 1967” (unpublished research paper submitted to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States), p. 2. A second translation of this Tablet that does not differ essentially was done by Mrs. Marzieh Gail on April 1, 1967.
6. Letter from Ali Kuli Khan to Sarah Farmer, October 26, 1907, cited in Rost, p. 4.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid., pp. 4-5. The original of this Tablet has not been located by the writer, although a copy of what appears to be a portion of it was found in the Eliot, Maine, Bahá’í archives.
9. Mahmood Eben Ismail, Book of Wonderful Signs: Vol. I (typewritten translation for the National Bahá’í Archives and History Committee, October 23, 1944), p. 243.
10. Allan L. Ward, 239 Days: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979), p. 125.
11. Ismail, p. 253.
12. Rost, pp. 6-14.
13. Ibid., pp. 6-10, with Xerox copies of the originals.
14. Written statement by Ivy Drew Edwards, August 1941, cited in Rost, pp. 6-7. What would normally be regarded as Mrs. Edwards’ earliest dated statement, dated winter 1913, could not have been such as it includes the inquiry made to Jinabi Fazel in 1920. One statement is undated.
15. Alfred E. Lunt, “Report of the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada—1931-1932,” in Bahá’í News, 62:7, May 1932.

[Page 10] An aerial view of the lovely Green Acre Bahá’í School property on the Piscataqua River near Eliot, Maine

16. Rost, pp. 5-6, 9, 14-15.
17. Letter from William H. Randall to Mrs. Mabel H. Paine, May 18, 1922, cited in Rost, p. 14.
18. Letter to the Friends and Members of the Green Acre Fellowship from William H. Randall, treasurer, Green Acre Fellowship, May 13, 1922, cited in “Letter from Trustees of Green Acre Fellowship,” Bahá’í News Letter, 5:5, May-June 1925.
19. Letter from Shoghi Effendi to an individual Bahá’í dated October 14, 1943, cited in H.T.D. Rost, The Possible Nature and Establishment of Bahá’í Universities and Colleges Based Upon a Study of Bahá’í Literature (Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms, 1970), p. 334. The copyright for this book is now held by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.
20. Letter from Shoghi Effendi to Glenn A. Shook, November 2, 1936, cited in Rost, The Possible Nature and Establishment of Bahá’í Universities and Colleges Based Upon a Study of Bahá’í Literature, pp. 334-35.
21. See Rost, The Possible Nature and Establishment of Bahá’í Universities and Colleges Based Upon a Study of Bahá’í Literature.
22. Ibid., pp. 300-338.
23. Ibid., pp. 307-10, 316-19.
24. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 99-100.
25. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1957), p. 341.
26. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, II (Chicago: Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 1925), p. 258.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Nearly all the research for this paper was completed in the 1960s. The writer wishes to express his warmest appreciation to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States for permitting access to the National Baha’i Archives; to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Eliot, Maine, for permitting access to the Eliot Bahá’í Archives; to several members of the Bahá’í community of Eliot for their invaluable cooperation; to Douglas Martin for his help; and to the Green Acre Council for its encouragement.

H.T.D. Rost
May 21, 1982

[Page 11]

Sixth Agnes Alexander Award given

The Bahá’í community of Hawaii celebrated its 81st anniversary last December 26 with a banquet at which the sixth annual Agnes Baldwin Alexander Award for service to humanity was presented to Dr. Kenneth Pike Emory, senior anthropologist at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.

About 125 people including many distinguished guests attended the banquet at the Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Honolulu. The annual event is sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands and its human rights arm, NAHBOHR.

‘Life of devotion’

The Agnes B. Alexander Award was presented to Dr. Emory by Judge Betty M. Vitousek, who was the first recipient of the award.

The citation on the award to Dr. Emory reads in part:

“Dr. Kenneth Pike Emory has distinguished himself by his many contributions to science and by an outstanding life of devotion to his work and to community service ... he is recognized as the father of modern archeology in the Pacific ... Dr. Emory is a pioneer in the field of Hawaiian anthropology and archeology .... As the author of more than 150 monographs, articles and reports, he has made the world more knowledgeable of the people of the Pacific and of their heritage ... The world is better because of his life and the knowledge he has brought to it of its past; particularly in bringing to the people of Polynesia a return of their heritage.”

Principal speaker at the banquet was Paul R. Pettit of Portland, Oregon, who has been a member of the Auxiliary Board in the U.S. since 1970. Mr. Pettit spoke on “Security for a Failing World.”

The master of ceremonies was Tracy Hamilton, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands, who welcomed those attending and presented a brief summary of the Bahá’í Faith and of the Agnes Baldwin Alexander award, named in honor of the late Hand of the Cause of God who introduced the Faith to Hawaii in 1901.

Entertainment consisted of Hawaiian dances by Kapo’e Wahine Onaona.

Among the special guests were three former recipients of the Alexander Award: Judge Vitousek, Mrs. Gladys A. Brandt, and Albert K. Sing.

Other guests were from the staff of the Bishop Museum.

Judge Betty M. Vitousek (center) presents the 1982 Agnes Baldwin Alexander Award for service to humanity to Dr. Kenneth Pike Emory (right), senior anthropologist at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, as Tracy Hamilton, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands, looks on. The sixth annual award banquet, sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands and its human rights arm, NAHBOHR, was held last December 26 at the Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Honolulu. Dr. Emory, who is now 85 years old, spent 60 years working with the Bishop Museum. Judge Vitousek is the first recipient of the Alexander Award.

[Page 12]

The world

Many enrolled in 2 Honduras campaigns

Two hundred twenty-four people, most of them members of the Jicaque Indian tribe, were enrolled in the Faith, about 20 villages were opened, and two Spiritual Assemblies composed of indigenous Bahá’ís were formed as the result of a five-day teaching campaign last December 18-22 in the mountainous interior of the Department of Yoro, Honduras.

“Project Wanita George,” named in honor of an American who has been a pioneer in Honduras for more than 20 years, followed closely the recent visit to Honduras by the “Camino del Sol” (Trail of Light) teaching team composed of Native American Bahá’ís from North America.

Members of the teaching team were Auxiliary Board members Barry Smith and William Stover; Jhemhm Stover, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Honduras; and Keith Bookwalter.

“Never before,” said one team member, “had we felt so much like mere ‘harvesters’ reaping the fruits of the sacrifices of those who had gone before us to prepare the way.”

Two of the new Bahá’ís are Jicaque chiefs. One of them, a highly respected chief of one of the largest Jicaque tribes, gathered together on short notice many of his widely scattered people for a Bahá’í public meeting.

After this chief and more than 70 of his 700-member tribe had declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh, he said he would build an open-sided meeting hall so that more of his people could learn about God’s new Revelation.

* * *

Results of the recently completed “Rising Sun” teaching campaign in Honduras include the enrollment of 409 new Bahá’ís, the strengthening of seven Local Spiritual Assemblies, and the development and training of 35 Bahá’í teachers.

Twenty-four deepening sessions and 16 public meetings were held during the project. Eight children’s classes were established, and prayers and quotations from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh were translated from Spanish into the Paya language.

Publicity included two hours of radio interviews and presentations of Bahá’í literature to local authorities.

Bahamas

The Hon. Kendal Nottage (left), minister of youth, sports and community affairs for the Bahamas, is greeted by Shamsi Sedaghat, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahamas, during his visit last June 12 to a Bahá’í booth at the Woman ’82 Trade Fair and Exhibition in Nassau. Mr. Nottage, who spent some time at the booth listening to a brief presentation on the Faith, offered his help in assuring the smooth passage of the Faith’s incorporation when the measure is presented to the Bahamas Parliament.

Italy

Bahá’ís from 40 localities in Italy and from six other countries attended the Italian Bahá’í Summer School in mid-September held in the Calabrian region of the country.

Participants came from the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Capri, Ischia and Lipari.

Speakers at the school, which was dedicated to the memory of the Greatest Holy Leaf, included Counsellor Erik Blumenthal and three Auxiliary Board members.

[Page 13]

Samoa

The Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery (left) notes progress on construction of the Bahá’í House of Worship near Apia, Western Samoa, during a brief visit to Samoa following his attendance at the International Bahá’í Conference last September 2-5 in Canberra, Australia. The man at the right is not identified.

New Zealand

Contact between the Bahá’í community of Whangarei, New Zealand, and the local Quaker community resulted from a Bahá’í-sponsored prayer meeting honoring the martyrs in Iran. Among those who attended was a Quaker who was attracted to the Faith.

The Bahá’ís were invited to attend a Quaker worship service after which the friends invited the Quakers for lunch and a unity feast at the Bahá’í Center.

The Quaker guests at the Center were so impressed by an introductory talk on the Faith that they requested a copy of it for possible publication in their national magazine.

The visitors remarked especially about the diversity of race and nationality in the Bahá’í community and expressed their gratitude for the establishment of friendly relations between the Bahá’í and Quaker communities.

* * *

“Women: Past, Present and Future” was the theme of a day-long women’s conference held recently in Patutahi, New Zealand, that was attended by 32 people including four non-Bahá’ís.

Organized under the direction of the Hawkes Bay Regional Teaching and Development Committee, the conference included presentations on “women in religious history,” “Khadíjih Bagum,” “women attaining their birthright,” “the role of women in the Bahá’í community,” and “women: where do we go from here?”

Also included were presentations on the lives of the Hands of the Cause of God Amelia Collins and Clara Dunn.

* * *

Three Bahá’ís representing two Bahá’í communities in Manawatu, New Zealand, spoke recently about the Faith to a class of about 20 students at Massey University in Palmerston North.

The three Bahá’ís told students in a religious studies class about their own backgrounds and why they were attracted to the Faith, then spent an hour answering questions.

At the end of the cordial interchange, some of the students invited the friends to join them for refreshments and to continue the lively discussion.

Alaska

Jones Wongtillon, a Bahá’í from Nome, Alaska, who is a counselor in a state program dealing with the problems of alcoholism, has been given three awards for his contributions by three public organizations including the state legislature.

Mr. Wongtillon was cited for his services as a counselor and for program development in the Norton Sound region of Alaska.

Zambia

More than 80 Bahá’ís including representatives of 26 Local Spiritual Assemblies in Zambia attended a deepening course last October 9-17 at the Bahá’í Teaching Institute in Mwinilunga.

The deepening program, designed for chairmen and secretaries of Local Assemblies, was held in conjunction with a youth conference and child education institute.

Speakers at the deepening included Auxiliary Board member Vahid Bam and Joel Chitafu, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Zambia.

Topics for consultation included Bahá’í laws, duties of Local Spiritual Assemblies and their divine origin, teaching, prayer, the Fast, the Nineteen Day Feast, and the role of Auxiliary Board members and their assistants.

Border teaching also was discussed along with the need for homefront pioneers. Several of those present offered to become homefront pioneers to various locations in northwestern Zambia.

During an evening campfire session, Mr. Bam told the story of Mullá Husayn and Quddús and how their sacrifices had led them to find and recognize the Báb. The story led to questions that lasted until midnight. The youth then took up their drums and homemade guitars and played and sang until dawn.

[Page 14]

Fiji

Nuku Waisu (right), one of 20 members of a Bahá’í youth club who began a variety of farming projects on their parents’ land in Fiji more than a year ago, shows Fiji agriculture officer Tevita Korodrau (center) the plans for a waste disposal unit on his goat farm in Lomaivuna. Mr. Waisu, who is a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Fiji Islands and of the National Teaching Committee, joined other youth club members in conducting a tour of their projects last December 10 during a day-long field trip by officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, other area farmers, and reporters.

Twenty Bahá’í youth in Lomaivuna, Fiji, who have started small-scale farms on their parents’ land conducted a tour of their projects last December 10 for Ministry of Agriculture officials, other area farmers, and reporters during a field day program sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Lomaivuna.

The youth began their projects more than a year ago when they formed a Bahá’í youth club that is registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

The field day visit to the several farming projects was reported in a two-page article in the December 14 edition of the Fiji Times. The article, accompanied by six photos, mentions the fact that the young men are all Bahá’ís.

“Within seven months,” the article says, “they had a goat farm going, a fish pond with 100 carp, a poultry business with 160 chickens, a ginger farm of one acre, and dalo and cassava plantations on land that was once jungle.” The youth also have beehives and a small pig farm.

During the field day program, two representatives from the Ministry of Youth and Sport gave talks about what they had seen and were extremely positive about the youth club’s achievements, saying that future projects would receive top priority if aid was requested.

Sixteen-year-old Pita Taubale, the youngest member of a group of 20 Bahá’í youth who formed a club and began a variety of farming projects more than a year ago, sits in front of his one-acre ginger plantation in Lomaivuna, Fiji, that was visited by Ministry of Agriculture officials, other area farmers, and reporters during a day-long field trip last December 10. The project was reported in a two-page article in The Fiji Times four days after the field trip.

El Salvador

Six Bahá’ís from El Salvador who had attended the Bahá’í International Conference in Quito, Ecuador, shared their experiences with the friends in El Salvador during a special conference August 22 that had the dual themes of a National Teaching Conference and “The Spirit of Ecuador.”

More than 300 Bahá’ís attended the gathering, which was held at the Club de Caminos, a short distance from San Salvador, the nation’s capital.

Greenland

Lise Quistgaard Raben, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark, visited Sisimiut, Nuuk and Qaqortoq, Greenland, during a four-week teaching trip last summer.

Besides conducting teaching institutes, Mrs. Raben made herself available at open house meetings each evening that were attended by many people. She contacted a journalist from the Cultural Department of Danish radio and was cordially received by the municipal director of Nuuk and the mayor of Qaqortoq.

In the mayor’s absence, the municipal director of Nuuk accepted Bahá’í books in Greenlandic and Danish and expressed special delight in receiving the Danish translation of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, remarking that he had not been able to find enough information to satisfy his interest when he first learned that a Bahá’í Summer School was to be held in Sisimiut.

“The difficulties of traveling to and within Greenland are immense,” wrote Mrs. Raben, “due to the great distances and the need to travel by helicopter or ships whose schedules are disrupted frequently by adverse weather ...

“Much work, devoted work, has been done for the Faith in Greenland by former and present pioneers and resident believers.”

[Page 15]

Papua New Guinea

Shown are members of the first local all-girl teaching team of Papua New Guinea who compose and perform songs with Bahá’í themes. These active young teachers, some of whom are second generation Bahá’ís, are (left to right) Jenny Homerang, Thelma Lundeng, Rose Elias, Lingling Hosea, and Poigo Willie.

Germany

Pictured is a part of the Bahá’í exhibit at the International Book Fair held last October 6-11 in Frankfurt, Germany, at which the publications of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Germany and 19 other Bahá’í publishers in 17 countries were displayed.

Twenty Bahá’í publishers from 17 countries including Bahá’í Verlag, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Germany, participated last October in a large display at the Frankfurt International Book Fair.

The large and attractive stand devoted to Bahá’í literature was situated at the entrance of the general exhibition on the theme “Religion.”

The National Teaching Committee and the Spiritual Assembly of Frankfurt collaborated in organizing an efficient system of placards and stands, and sponsored a series of well-attended public meetings at which talks on the Faith were presented.

“From every point of view,” wrote one observer, “this Fair was a great proclamation success.”

United States

Frank and Agnes Sheffey, a retired couple from the United States who pioneered to Guyana, made 130 presentations last year of their experiences there to Bahá’í communities in 27 states and in Toronto, Canada.

An estimated 1,700 Bahá’ís saw the program during the Sheffeys’ tour last January through July. The presentation was made with the thought that more Bahá’ís might arise to pioneer if they could glimpse the richness of the life of a pioneer.

The presentation included filmed interviews with 50 enthusiastic and dedicated American, Canadian, British and Persian pioneers in 15 countries and a taped “call to pioneering” by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears.

The Sheffey’s seven-month tour was made with the approval of the U.S. International Goals Committee and was welcomed by Local Spiritual Assemblies.

Inspired by the presentation, a Bahá’í in Glens Falls, New York, visited Guyana and participated in a 10-day teaching effort that resulted in the enrollment of 426 new Bahá’ís.

About 10 per cent of those who saw the presentation expressed a desire to pioneer or to travel and teach.

The Sheffeys already are making plans to pioneer again.

[Page 16]

Pakistan

Sixty non-Bahá’í women and 20 children participated last October 4 in a Bahá’í Women’s Conference organized by the National Ladies Committee and held at the Bahá’í Center in Quetta, Pakistan.

Among the participants were the wife of the vice-chancellor of Baluchistan University; wives of judges, doctors and university lecturers; and school headmistresses and teachers.

Talks centered on the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, the equality of men and women, and child-rearing and education based on the Bahá’í teachings.

The children sang and presented a drama on unity. Refreshments were served, and copies of Bahá’í pamphlets and Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era were distributed.

* * *

The Bahá’í Youth Committee of Karachi, Pakistan, arranged a well-attended speech contest that was held last September 15 at the Bahá’í National Center in Karachi.

Prizes were given to the best speakers. The program was so successful that it was decided to hold similar competitions every three months.

* * *

United Nations Day was observed last October 24 in many localities in Pakistan.

In Karachi, the guest speaker at a public meeting held at the Bahá’í National Center was a representative of the UN Economic and Social Council (UNESCO). Among the many non-Bahá’í guests was the Thai consul.

More than 50 non-Bahá’ís attended the UN Day observance at the Nawabshah Bahá’í Center where the speakers included Auxiliary Board member Shamsheer Ali and four non-Bahá’í professors.

* * *

A memorial service for Auxiliary Board member A.C. Joshi was held last September 10 at the Bahá’í National Center in Karachi, Pakistan.

Two days before the meeting, which was arranged by the Spiritual Assembly of Karachi, an article about Mr. Joshi’s life appeared in many of the English, Urdu and Gujarati daily newspapers. These articles included information about the memorial service.

Participants in the memorial program included Justice Nasiruddin, president of the Karachi Bar Council, and many advocates and lawyers who paid tribute to Mr. Joshi.

* * *

A week of proclamation last November 6-12 in Karachi, Pakistan, was described as “one of the most successful teaching projects ever arranged by the Bahá’í community of Karachi.”

Groups of Bahá’ís proclaimed the Faith to 85 prominent physicians and surgeons, 44 heads of educational institutions, more than 50 school and college teachers, 28 renowned lawyers, and more than 100 other prominent people including government officials, United Nations representatives, bank managers, newspaper editors, and radio and television executives.

Meanwhile, other Bahá’ís were busy with individual teaching activities that included holding many firesides.

The week ended with a large reception at the Bahá’í National Center in Karachi that was attended by about 350 non-Bahá’í guests including Syed Saeed, the advocate-general of Sind Province, who was a guest speaker.

The reception marked the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh; the 50th anniversary of Bahá’í Hall, the National Center in Karachi; and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Spiritual Assembly of Karachi. The reception was publicized in local newspapers and with 700 printed invitations.

On the same day, an exhibit of Bahá’í books at the Center attracted many interested seekers.

France

Shown are participants in the French Bahá’í Summer School held last August in Lorient, Bretagne, on the country’s west coast. A special guest at the school was Dr. Leo Niederreiter, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe.

South and West Africa

Two hundred twenty-seven adults and 30 children gathered last September 19 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to hear reports of the Bahá’í International Conference held last August in Lagos, Nigeria.

The Johannesburg gathering, itself an international conference, was graced by the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears who read the message to the Lagos Conference from the Universal House of Justice.

Also among those present were Counsellors William Masehla and Bahiyyih Winckler, nine Auxiliary Board members, and Bahá’ís from several countries in Africa.

The program included the presentation of slides from the Lagos Conference, a talk on the life and station of the Greatest Holy Leaf, a message from the House of Justice to conferences in southern Africa, and presentations by the Counsellors and members of the Auxiliary Board.

Mr. Sears closed the conference with a tribute to the radiant spirit of the Greatest Holy Leaf.

[Page 17]

Nigeria

Shown are some of the Bahá’ís who staffed a booth last November 12-20 at the first International Trade Fair in Enugu, Anambra State, Nigeria. Back row (left to right) are Michael Fordu, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board from Cameroon, Auxiliary Board member Mr. Okafor; Das Bornoh, an Auxiliary Board member in Malaysia who now lives in Ghana; and Andy Okoro, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Enugu and the Anambra State Teaching Committee. Front row (left to right) are Don Addison of Nsukka, an assistant to the Auxiliary Board; Glenda Kimerling, a pioneer from the U.S. to Nsukka; Mbah (Thomas) Acho from Cameroon; and Sherrie Sawyer, a pioneer from the U.S. to Nsukka. Twenty-five visitors to the booth declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.

More than 5,000 people learned of the Faith last November 12-20 during the first International Trade Fair in Enugu, Anambra State, Nigeria, and 25 visitors to the Bahá’í booth at the fair declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.

The booth was staffed by Bahá’ís from area communities including Enugu, Nsukka and Ngwo along with Bahá’ís from Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Malaysia, Iran, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Bahá’í Faith was the only religious community represented at this first Anambra State Trade Fair. Visitors to the Bahá’í booth included the governor of Anambra State, the Hon. James Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo; 20 clergymen of various Christian denominations; two government commissioners, and a magistrate court judge.

When the governor entered the Bahá’í booth on the opening day of the fair, accompanied by his aides, representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of Enugu presented him with Bahá’í literature and answered questions.

When the governor asked where the Bahá’ís in Enugu meet, he was told that for five years the friends have tried without success to obtain permission for land for a Bahá’í Center.

The governor advised the Bahá’ís to write again, adding that he would see to it that permission would be forthcoming.

One of the visitors who signed a declaration card, a police officer from Lagos, had learned of the Faith at the Ikeja (Lagos) Trade Fair three weeks earlier.

* * *

Iheanyi Okwakpam, a Bahá’í youth from Ibadan, Nigeria, who is an assistant to the Auxiliary Board and president of the Bahá’í Club at the University of Ibadan, has been elected president of that university’s branch of the World University Service, a prestigious, non-political organization with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The World University Service, with membership composed of faculty and students from many universities, is concerned with ensuring that universities play a role in contributing to solutions of world social problems. It is committed to resisting all forms of external pressure that hinder freedom in teaching, learning and research.

The organization awards scholarships and is affiliated with special agencies including the United Nations Organization (UNO) and UNESCO.

* * *

As a result of a week-long teaching trip by eight Bahá’ís from five countries last summer to Urhobo tribal areas in Bendel State, Nigeria, 255 people including 32 youth declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh and five new Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed.

In Ajauwini, those who were interested in learning about the Faith came in from the farms at twilight to hear the message of Bahá’u’lláh. Forty-seven adults and 14 youth then embraced the Cause.

The team of Bahá’ís was granted an audience with the tribal king, His Highness the Avie of Ughara, and four chiefs. After the friends explained what it was they were teaching, the Avie expressed his admiration for the Faith and wished the Bahá’ís success.

One chief, a Christian, after accepting the Faith, asked if he could travel with the Bahá’ís to help them teach in the next village.

Mauritius

A week of intensive teaching activity in memory of Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, was carried out last July 10-17 by all Local Spiritual Assemblies and regional committees in Mauritius in observance of the 50th anniversary of her passing.

Local Assemblies in Mauritius held memorial gatherings July 15, and an island-wide commemoration of her passing was held July 18 at the Mauritius Bahá’í Institute.

[Page 18]

For the seventieth anniversary

of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s historic trip to America

A NEW EDITION of

THE

PROMULGATION

OF

UNIVERSAL

PEACE

Features of new edition

139 talks by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

new foreword

Howard MacNutt’s original introduction written at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s behest

detailed table of contents

chronology of dates, cities, and addresses of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks

new index

The Promulgation of Universal Peace is a compilation of many of the talks and discourses ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivered during His historic 239-day visit to the United States and Canada in 1912.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s purpose in coming to the West was “to set forth in America the fundamental principles of the revelation and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.”
His topics included:

• the equality of men and women
• the harmony of science and religion
• the need for universal education and a universal language
• the oneness of God
• the oneness and continuity of the prophets of God
• the oneness of mankind
• the elimination of racial prejudice

All are essential for the universal peace that Bahá’u’lláh came to bring, and that gives the book its title.

---

Cloth edition only. xx + 469 pages, chronology of talks, index.
Catalog No. 106-039.  $16.00*

*Valid only in the 48 contiguous States of the United States.
All others write for prices and ordering and shipping instructions.

This new edition, published to mark the seventieth anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s trip to America, is a special gift—and a challenge to fulfill the obligation of arising and carrying on the work of teaching the Cause that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá “so gloriously initiated.”

Available from

Bahá’í Publishing Trust

415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091