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| Bahá’í News | October 1983 | Bahá’í Year 140 |
A life of service: Agnes B. Alexander
Bahá’í News[edit]
Messages from National Conventions convey spirit of joy, resolution | 1 |
In Nepal, age-old traditions slowly give way to a new search for truth | 5 |
Agnes Alexander: 70 years of service to the Cause (first of three parts) | 6 |
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.
National Conventions[edit]
Cause gains momentum on many fronts[edit]
AFRICA[edit]
Benin—“14th Convention Benin with 45 delegates ... Happy presence Counsellor Ekpe.”
Burundi—“Assembly elected in atmosphere love and unity.”
Cameroon—“Deeply grateful inspiring Riḍván message. Delighted listen taped comment Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum bringing closer link Holy Land.”
Central African Republic—“101 participants express sympathy and support to Universal House of Justice.”
Chad—“Second Convention Chad great success (in) Samandarí Institute.”
Ethiopia—“Addis Ababa permeated with spirit recent International Convention ... Special prayers behalf valiant believers Cradle Faith.”
Gambia—“Highlights year, contacts prominent people, women children activities, translations, youth potential.”
Ghana—“Thankful hearts ... stimulating consultation, useful recommendations bright hopes future victories.”
Ivory Coast and Mali—“Enkindled House message. Firm pledge to achieve remaining goals.”
Kenya—“Rejoice achievements conveyed message ... 20th Convention honored presence Counsellor Vuyiya.”
Lesotho—“Hearts united, entry by troops ... 57 Local Assemblies confirmed more awaited.”
Liberia—“National Assembly members to lead teaching teams throughout country.”
Madagascar—“Successful Convention ... Assembly elected presence Counsellor Samandarí.”
Malawi—“194 friends ... attended National Convention ... Spontaneous universal contribution Bahá’í Fund.”
Mauritius—“High spirit Convention ... 71 delegates 142 friends ... Profoundly deplore persecution Iranian friends greatly admire courage ... Special prayers offered.”
Nigeria—“Elated election to new Assembly, two women ... Fifty delegates, 88 observers from 16 states Nigeria.”
Réunion—“We notice new determination following your inspiring and stimulating message.”
Rwanda—“Happy 12th Convention ... greatly inspired by message Supreme Body.”
Senegal—“Delegates promising to arise accomplish remaining goals ...”
Seychelles—“Pledged change residential section National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds to Bahá’í Institute immediately for training Army of Light for conquest goals.”
Sierra Leone—“Ninth National Convention held, great spiritual capacity ...”
South and West Africa—“Rejoice news establishment permanent Seat God’s Holy Mountain ...”
Southwest Africa/Namibia—“Third National Convention rejoices radiant spirit participation ... nine localities.”
Swaziland—“Highlight Convention, dedication Hospitality Youth Center memory John (and) Val Allen, Knights Bahá’u’lláh.”
Tanzania—“Pledge achieve all goals second phase and self-sufficiency funds.”
Togo—“Most varied and representative participation ever attained ... out of 25 regions, 22 contributed to the Fund.”
Transkei—“Recent Holy Land trip reports captivated friends. Deepening sense belonging world community Bahá’u’lláh.”
Uganda—“High spirits 20 delegates 28 visitors blessed presence Counsellor Oule.”
Upper Volta—“Seventh Convention Upper Volta ... Ask prayers protection Faith, spiritual enrichment.”
Zambia—“17th National Convention coinciding National deepening conference, special emphasis inner spiritual development.”
Zimbabwe—“115 friends gathered 14th Convention ... 67 delegates voted, all ballots valid.”
THE AMERICAS[edit]
Alaska—“High level excitement generated report NSA members returning Holy Land. Upcoming exchange visit ‘Trail of Light’ team will spark enlistment youth, lead fulfillment ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prophecies ...”
Argentina—“Newly elected Assembly distinguished election Toba (tribe) member .... Friends pledge 25 per cent national budget.”
Barbados—“Happy loving spirit International Convention radiating (to) friends.”
Belize—“Present from all districts ... 55 Assemblies formed.”
Bermuda—“Inspired with news of world victories ... and awesome dignity Seat of Universal House of Justice.”
Bolivia—“We feel uplifted by the government approval of Radio Bahá’í and subsequent purchase of land in Caracollo, with its implications for the teaching and the education of the people. In spirit of unity and service we promise to renew our efforts in mass teaching and launch a program of tutorial schools in the villages.”
Brazil—“Largest participation history Brazil Bahá’í. 550 participants
[Page 2]
from all Brazil. Of 92 delegates ... 85
voted. First LP (record) Brazilian Bahá’í music released. Four new books
published.”
Canada—“Canadian Convention blessed presence beloved Hand Cause John Robarts, dear wife, Audrey, Counsellor Lloyd Gardner, five members Auxiliary Board, inspiring, challenging message beloved Hand Cause William Sears. Convention enriched by participation indigenous and French-speaking believers. Account persecution brethren Iran by widow Mr. Mavaddat inspired Convention raise level service Cause.”
Chile—“Delegates, two of which Pehuenche (tribe) for first time and 108 visitors ... reaffirm love and loyalty ...”
Colombia—“Joyful Colombian Convention ... moved by your message.”
Costa Rica—“Hearts united supplication Almighty beloved brethren Iran at beautiful memorial program. Special participation indigenous communities.”
Dominica—“Happy announce formation National Spiritual Assembly Dominica. Presence Hand Cause Khádem, Counsellor Pringle, Secretary parent NSA, first pioneer Dominica, Bill Nedden ... Fund started acquisition National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.”
Dominican Republic—“Deeply grateful message showering light Dominican community. Elevated spirit faith, joy reigns Convention.”
Ecuador—“Goal adopted establish three Tutorial schools.”
El Salvador—“Majority delegates voted ... arrived from all parts country despite conditions. Optimistic spirit.”
French Antilles—“We are happy in the realization that this is indeed the Day of God.”
Guatemala—“33 delegates met elected National Assembly spirit unity, vitality.”
Guyana—“All regions represented 80 per cent delegates voting ... moved by report of achievements World Centre.”
Haiti—“Successful election ... 60 friends attending, 35 delegates all 3 Auxiliary Board members.”
Jamaica—“Delegates well represented. Riḍván message warmly received.”
Leeward Islands—“Host of friends inspired by your Riḍván message ... 40 Local Assemblies elected Riḍván.”
Mexico—“161 attending ... 43 delegates, 14 Mayans, 2 Zapotecs. Great desire to teach, spirit of unity and love.”
Nicaragua—“23rd National Convention. Presence member Auxiliary Board Rodrigo Tomas (from Costa Rica). 25 delegates, 12 mailed votes, 58 visitors. Strong feelings unity, love.”
Panama—“Near completion majority goals. Recent increase 716 new believers and marked progress Guaymi project.”
Peru—“Successful election more than 390 LSAs ... personal offers delegates to open 19 Provinces and 61 Districts arising to challenges of vast ... expansion ... Friends applaud appointment Mr. Khamsí ...”
Puerto Rico—“Gathered friends promise immediate action National Community ... in partial recompense suffering Iranian Bahá’ís.”
St. Lucia—“Eleven assembled delegates first National Bahá’í Convention St. Lucia, honored bounty independent National Assembly. All progress due your unfailing guidance. Successful spirit-filled Convention, result presence Hand Cause Khádem, representative your august Body.”
St. Vincent and Grenada—“Eleven delegates ... assembled beautiful setting restored Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds send loving greetings ... first National Convention fresh division Windward Islands ... Grateful presence Counsellor Pringle, new Auxiliary Board member, distinguished representatives outgoing National Assembly.”
Suriname and French Guiana—“Sixty participants ... of which Bush Negroes formed largest share. Universal outpouring contributions.”
Trinidad and Tobago—“Large number non-delegates including youth and children, hearts gladdened by message.”
Uruguay—“Convention decided on financial self-sufficiency. Formed 42 LSAs leaving 3 for remaining years of Plan.”
United States—“1,500 believers attending ... We are astonished and grateful for recent events which have propelled us on to the world stage ... Convention enriched by presence Hand Cause William Sears ... Counsellors Velma Sherrill, Sarah Pereira.”
Venezuela—“... privileged with presence Counsellor Donald Witzel. 38 delegates ... strengthened by reading message of the Universal House of Justice and with spirit of faith and enthusiasm shared by delegates returned from International Convention.”
Virgin Islands—“Delegates and guests spiritually invigorated ... preparing enrollment desperate multitudes utilizing powers released by Bahá’u’lláh including sacrifice our Persian family. Please God we may achieve.”
ASIA[edit]
Bangladesh—“43 delegates with Counsellor Afshín ... rejoice holding 11th National Convention after gap one year...”
Burma—“Successful Convention May 26-29 including Silver Jubilee NSA, women’s school & conference attended by 400.”
Hong Kong—“Election 10th National Assembly, first with majority Chinese, first with all 19 delegates voting ... With 35 in attendance, Convention goal of 20,000 HK dollars exceeded first day, supplemental goal of 10,000 exceeded second day, recommended triple annual contribution goal.”
India—“Friends deeply moved Riḍván message also spirit generated International Convention conveyed to us ...”
Japan—“Counsellor Suzuki, four Auxiliary Board members, 42 delegates, 75 in attendance ... Good start made this year with recent increase of believers and Local Assemblies. This has encouraged all believers to strive harder and 31 have already volunteered to participate in national projects, including travel teaching in West Caroline Islands.”
Korea—“20th Convention vivified by spirit of Holy Land conveyed by returning international delegates ... Convention distinguished by election one woman for first time in many years.”
Laos—“19 delegates present plus invited Bahá’ís from few provinces. Key teachers and delegates attended Na-
[Page 3]
Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Sikkim elected at Riḍván 1983 are shown with Counsellor Shirin Boman (fifth from left). They are (left to right) Nar Bahadur Gajmer, K.N. Sharma, P.G. Mazi, M.C. Mathur, Counsellor Boman, Rezwan Menezes, Damber Singh Lama, Ram Prasad Upretti, George Menezes, N. Krishnan N. All but three members of the National Assembly are natives of Sikkim. Mr. and Mrs. Menezes and Mr. Krishnan N. are pioneers from India who are working at the Bahá’í school of Tadong.
tional Teaching Conference. All
friends present elated. Fellowship renewed. Ever grateful Bahá’u’lláh confirming efforts surmount all obstacles
to have this memorable gathering come
to reality.”
Malaysia—“On occasion 20th Convention, presence Counsellor John Fozdar ... Launching 10 month plan. Special emphasis child education.”
Pakistan—“27th annual Convention commenced 22 May Hyderabad. Message House recited. Delighted progress Faith ... Special prayers friends Cradle Faith.”
Philippines—“Total 340 representing 48 Provinces, cities attending 19th National Convention jubilantly convened birthplace Bahá’í Faith Philippines, Solano, Nueva Viscaya (Luzon).”
Sikkim—“Presence Counsellor Mrs. Boman, 28 delegates ... volunteered accomplishment goals. Beseeching prayers Holy Shrines success Faith Himalayan country.”
Singapore—“Successful Convention ... Spirit International Bahá’í Convention permeates gathering over 50 participants including Counsellor John Fozdar.”
Sri Lanka—“Giving thanks Bahá’u’lláh 22nd Convention in progress graced presence Counsellor Nagaratnam ... 46 delegates 55 observers.”
Taiwan—“Honored presence beloved Counsellor Yan Kee Leong, first pioneer Taiwan, Mr. Suleimani ... 26 delegates 60 friends participated ... special supplications offered beleaguered brethren Iran. Redoubling efforts assure Taiwan’s special role take Faith Bahá’u’lláh to Chinese.”
Thailand—“Convention successfully held presence Counsellor Sundram ... Two-day teaching Institute follows.”
AUSTRALASIA[edit]
Australia—“Exhilarated news appointment Counsellor Khan International Teaching Centre ... extremely moved by reports of members attending International Convention. Special devotions held memory martyrs.”
Fiji—“Loyal Fiji community delighted successful International Convention and your occupation new Seat Mount Carmel ... Counsellor Maka, over 70 friends Convention ... praying speedy emancipation beleaguered friends Iran.”
Hawaiian Islands—“Convention stirred by news media report of rejection ... President Reagan’s plea for mercy for 22 valiant souls Cradle Faith. Responsibility taken to heart by delegates ... pledge strive harmoniously, vigorously, efficiently to be light in Spiritual Axis ... ’Aloha nui loa’ to servants on God’s Mountain.”
Mariana Islands—“Overjoyed report formation 14 Assemblies, majority second phase goals accomplished. Enthusiastically preparing ... 35 years Faith Marianas commemoration.”
Marshall Islands—“Unprecedented representation outer atolls ... hearts
[Page 4]
now permanently anchored Holy Land
through inspiring presence one of our
members International Convention.”
New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands—“Encouraged presence Counsellor Hancock. Determined arise overcome delay accomplish goals Plan.”
Papua New Guinea—“All Bahá’ís eager carry out plans House Justice.”
Samoa—“Participation exceeds 200, including Counsellor ‘Alá’í ... efforts friends in Samoa to make us worthy to be recipients of first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Pacific ... Hearts deeply touched receipt of red rose behalf NSA Iran.”
Solomons—“Joyfully report attendance 75 friends ... Evidence increased women’s activities ... immediate dispersion 5 overseas travel teachers, forthcoming women’s conference West Solomons ... Vigorous spirit assistance Abhá Kingdom evidenced community since Canberra Conference, resulting upsurge teaching, deepening.”
Tonga—“We share with you our joy in receiving your inspiring message which will help us in progress of our work ... in service to His Kingdom.”
Tuvalu—“From Third National Convention, Bahá’ís Tuvalu have elected new NSA. Convention sends warm Bahá’í greetings.”
EUROPE[edit]
Austria—“50 friends gathered harmonious atmosphere joyous commemoration 70th anniversary visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Vienna ...”
Cyprus—“Community amazed to witness the sparkling results of 5th International Convention as radiant faces and dancing hearts have tried to tell us of the experience of our National Assembly as they met under the shadow of the Universal House of Justice ... Our delighted and delightful Counsellor Betty Reed has helped greatly to give our enthusiasm some practical expression.”
Denmark—“Pledge year 140 (to) children and youth, continue spiritualization, and implement last phase Seven Year Plan.”
France—“Hand Cause Ugo Giachery, Counsellor Agnes Ghaznavi ... over 200 participants ... Enkindled, encouraged by Riḍván message, moved by exhortation to action by Hand Cause.”
Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands elected at the National Convention last May are (left to right) Tracy Hamilton, Elizabeth Hahn Haberman, Dr. Mohan Narula, Dr. Duane Troxel, Samieh Labib-Wood, Rick Labib-Wood, Brice Taylor, Elizabeth Hollinger, and Gary Morrison.
Germany—“Assemblage of 600
friends, grateful for presence of Counsellor Grossmann ... Overwhelming
Fund contributions DM 250.000, declared intention of 11 illumined souls
to take up pioneer posts, and 32 travel
teachers ...”
Greece—“The 7th National Convention of Greece ... attended by Counsellor Louis Hénuzet, two Board members, 17 delegates and 50 believers of the Greek community ...”
Iceland—“Rejoicing victory Faeroe Islands. All goals second phase Seven Year Plan completed.”
Ireland—“Over 200 friends gathered ... Dublin... Counsellor Ferraby and 3 Board members ... Feel new energy now vibrating Bahá’í world. Desire seize chance fulfill destiny cherished wish George Townshend. Heartening response local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds fund. 10,000 Irish Punts pledged and contributed.”
Italy—“Spiritual and joyful atmosphere during 22nd National Convention. Inspiring participation Counsellor Adib Taherzadeh.”
Luxembourg—“Counsellor Niederreiter, over 60 delegates ... greatly inspired spirit International Convention, thrilled news development International Teaching Centre.”
Netherlands—“Presence Counsellor Betty Reed, Auxiliary Board members ... increasing understanding significance wonderful national plan. Delegates return home with new insight purpose social role communities Most Great Name.”
Portugal—“NSA elected. Launching new plan spiritualization community. Deep love from all. Please pray.”
Spain—“Honored presence Counsellor Ursula Mühlschlegel. Devotional atmosphere in consultations remembering Iran’s Bahá’ís.”
Switzerland—“With joyous hearts ... 170 attendants ... determined through intensified spiritualization and personal teaching campaign, fulfill numerical goals.”
United Kingdom—“Over 560 delegates, friends gathered ... deeply moved throbbing spirit International Convention which permeated this gathering conveyed by NSA and members visiting NSAs, Counsellor Ferraby.”
Nepal[edit]
‘New path’ to truth replaces old ways[edit]
“At five o’clock every morning my father washes himself in the river before visiting the temples and stupas; then he returns home to meditate for several hours. He repeats the ritual in the evening, as he has done all his life, and as each of my forefathers has done for almost 400 years.”
Nem Bajracharya leans back in his chair and reflects on how best to describe his father, living some 12,000 miles away in Kathmandu, the capital city of the mountain kingdom of Nepal.
For 15 generations the tradition of his family has dictated that the eldest male child should follow his father into the Buddhist priesthood.
“My father,” Nem says, “gave me a mantra when I was a boy, and he wanted me to keep our traditions.
“Although he is now retired from many activities, he still serves as priest to several communities of believers. He
| As in most Asian countries, tradition plays an important role in the daily lives of the people of Nepal, a remote mountain kingdom whose customs and way of life are little known to Westerners. But some Nepalese traditions are changing, as this article by Gail Meyer Selcuk illustrates. |
is called ‘Guruju,’ which means teacher, and even our family name, Bajracharya, translates as ‘Buddhist priest’ in the Sanskrit language.
“My mother’s father was chief librarian of the National Archives in Kathmandu, but he also was trained as a priest. We are known in Nepal as a family of priests.”
However, in 1975 Nem met David and Penny Walker, a meeting that redirected his life and changed the course of a centuries-old family tradition. The Walkers had come to Nepal from the
‘We were attracted to (the Walkers) because they lived simply, yet seemed to have everything ... When we were in their home we felt we all belonged to the same family—and it’s not often we get that feeling in Nepal!’
United States as Bahá’í teachers and pioneers.
“Foreigners living in Nepal always complain about our poor conditions,” Nem explains. “Even many Nepalese themselves complain and want no responsibility for their difficulties.”
The Walkers, he says, were different.
“David and Penny not only took an interest in our troubles, they also looked on conditions in Nepal as their own and talked about our problems as their problems. This impressed me very much.”
Even before he met the Walkers, Nem’s life had shown signs of following a different path.
After graduating early from high school, he won a government scholarship to study in Japan and left home at 17. After five years of study in another language, he was graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Kyoto University, one of the most prestigious schools in Japan.
While there, he met and married Yoshiko, a union that was opposed initially by both of their families on the grounds of cultural differences.
Nem returned to Nepal in 1973 with his Japanese wife, who decided that she wanted to study English. That’s when the Bahá’í pioneers came into their lives.
Says Nem: “Both Penny and David taught English to my family. We were attracted to them because they lived simply, yet seemed to have everything.
“They told us it’s not just the material things in life that make one happy. When we were in their home we felt we all belonged to the same family—and it’s not often we get that feeling in Nepal!”
Now working in California, where he recently earned a master of science degree in yet another language, Nem and his wife declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh early this year.
“I was greatly attracted to the idea that mankind is one,” says Nem, “not just by what I read in books, but because when I was with the Bahá’ís I could see that they actually think that way.”
Comparing the Buddhist and Bahá’í faiths, he says, “In spiritual matters they are the same. The idea of ceremony is different, but the reason behind that ceremony is the same.
“The difference is that I could not relate Nepalese Buddhism to my everyday life, but in the Bahá’í Faith what we do and what we believe are closely related.”
The Walkers are still living in Nepal, while the Bajracharyas, with their children, Rika and Emina, are enjoying California.
Nem’s father still washes daily in the river. It’s the same river, but slowly, imperceptibly to most, its course is changing.
Biography[edit]
Agnes Alexander: 70 years of service[edit]
“Had this respected daughter founded an empire, that empire would not have been so great! For this sovereignty is eternal sovereignty and this glory everlasting glory.”—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, pp. 13-14
In May 1832 a young missionary couple strained at the horizon for their first glimpse of land in months. Out of the sapphire deeps arose “the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in the ocean”—the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In time the family of these newlyweds would become synonymous with the establishment of Christianity in Hawaii. Here they would raise nine children. And among their many grandchildren would appear a timid, sickly child who would in time be praised by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice. She would become the first Bahá’í of Hawaii and the Pacific.
Agnes Baldwin Alexander was born July 21, 1875, during the reign of King David Kalakaua (1874-91), the youngest of five children born to Professor William DeWitt and Abigail Charlotte Alexander.1
| The first of a three-part series on the life of the Hand of the Cause of God Agnes Baldwin Alexander was written by Duane Troxel, an assistant professor of educational technology at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Dr. Troxel, who has a PhD. in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, served from 1979-83 as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Hawaiian Islands. |
By Agnes’ own account, she was raised a Christian. “My father and mother were real Christians,” she said. “And we always had family prayers every day. But I felt that something was wrong with me, because Christ said we must be born again, and I had never experienced anything like that. So I thought something was wrong with me. It didn’t trouble my friends or my sister.”2
Agnes Baldwin Alexander in a photograph taken in December 1901.
Shy and sensitive, Agnes was more at ease with cats or horses than with people. Some of her happiest childhood memories were of summer stays with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on the neighboring island of Maui. There she would ride on horseback into lush tropical valleys, inhaling the balmy air and listening to the distant surf boom against the white sand beaches. But her heart was never completely at rest, for she had not been “born again.”
In 1890 she was graduated from Punahou School, the oldest college preparatory school west of the Rockies. That fall she entered Oahu College, graduating in a class of seven students in 1895. Her graduation essay, “Our Poor Relations,” urged fellow Christians to show kindness toward animals.
From 1895 to 1897 Agnes studied education at the University of California at Berkeley and at Oberlin College in Ohio. But she did not take a degree. Instead, she returned home to Honolulu where she lived with her parents and her sister, Mary Charlotte (1874-1961). For the next two years (1898-1900) Agnes taught elementary school at her alma mater.
The turning point in her life came in May 1900. A party of islanders was going on a tour of the mainland U.S. and Europe. Although she was not well, and her mother felt she was “hardly strong enough” for “such a rushing trip,”3 Agnes wanted badly to go. But who would buy the ticket? At this point kindly Aunt Em and Uncle Henry intervened with words of encouragement and a steamship ticket.
The journey did not begin auspiciously. Upon arriving in England, Agnes learned that her youngest brother, Henry (1868-1900), chronically ill since childhood, had died some days before in Napa, California. She wrote home: “We should all rejoice that Henry is at rest and living in paradise ...”4
By October 1900 Agnes had visited England, France and Switzerland and was en route to Rome, the “eternal city.” As the train approached Rome, she later wrote, “a thrill passed through me, as though I had attained my goal.”5 While staying at a pension, she felt herself irresistably drawn to a radiant American woman, Mrs. Charlotte Dixon, and her two daughters.
Overcoming her shyness, Agnes approached Mrs. Dixon in the elevator. Taking the woman’s hand, she asked her “what it was she had.” Mrs. Dixon
[Page 7]
invited Agnes to meet her in the back
parlor after supper.
“That evening, as I sat listening to her,” Agnes said later, “my heart was touched and tears came to my eyes. She gave me a prayer copied in longhand, for printed Bahá’í literature was then very scarce. The prayer seemed to answer all the longings of my heart. After that we met for three successive evenings. She was endeavoring to prepare me for something which was to come, but did not tell me of the Coming of the Promised One. In those early days of the Cause in America the Bahá’í Message was considered too great to be conveyed at once. As teachers were few, God revealed His Message in strange and wonderful ways. The third evening after meeting with Mrs. Dixon, when I retired to my room, sleep did not come.
“That night (November 26, 1900) an overwhelming realization came to me, which was neither a dream nor vision, that Christ had come on the earth. When morning came, I met Mrs. Dixon as she came from breakfast, and together we entered my room. There I turned to her and said, ‘Christ is on this earth!’ She replied, ‘Yes, I can see by your face that you know it.’ In a Tablet which I later received from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, He wrote: ‘By God, the Truth, the Spirit of Christ from the Supreme Concourse doth in every time and aspect announce to thee this Great Good News.’ ”6 The Dixons cautioned Agnes to “tell only the thirsty” but she felt that such wondrous news must be told to everyone.7
Prophecies ‘unfolded’[edit]
After the Dixons left Rome, Agnes did not meet another Bahá’í for three months. One Sunday she attended church services with her Italian cousins, and afterward told the minister about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He took up the Bible and read to her from the Scriptures to show her that she was misled. Agnes said, “As I did not know the interpretation myself, I could not answer him. In my heart though, I had the assurance I was right.”8
Taking God for her Teacher, Agnes bought a Bible. Before reading she prayed for understanding. “Little by little the prophecies of the coming of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá were unfolded to me.”
Above: Agnes Alexander’s parents, Professor William DeWitt Alexander and Abigail Charlotte (Baldwin) Alexander. Below: Agnes (left) with her uncle Henry and sister Mary in a photograph taken around 1884.
[Page 8]
At last she felt she must find others
who believed as she did. It was then
that she found the address of a Bahá’í
in Paris that Mrs. Dixon had given her.
“From the depths of my longing heart
I wrote,” she later recalled, “asking if
she could tell me more of the wonderful Message. The heavenly letter which
came in reply was so permeated with
divine love that my heart was filled with assurance.”9
“My precious Sister!
“Praise be to God that He has enlightened your heart in these wonderful days of the Coming of His Kingdom, and that He has in His Mercy guided you to the Truth.
“Please God we may soon welcome you in our midst in Paris and that you may then receive the full Revelation, and much help and instruction ....
“My Lord appeared to me in a vision twice, two years before I heard the Great Message, and when, by the great bounty of God, and without regard to my unworthiness, I was permitted to be among the first Americans to visit ‘Akká—I beheld my dear Lord, I knew Him by my visions ....
“I feel by your beautiful letter that God has chosen you to be a servant in His blessed Vineyard, and that you will be greatly blessed.
“I am longing with great love to see you, to greet you in the Truth, that you may enter with your brothers and sisters in this city into the full joy and peace ....
“I am your loving and devoted sister
in the love and service of our Lord.
Agnes traveled alone to Paris, arriving March 14, 1901. She quickly
made her way to 100 rue de Bac and
anxiously knocked on the door. A
woman answered. Agnes embraced her
warmly, thinking she was May, but the
woman did not respond. The awkward
silence that followed was at last broken
by a statement to this effect: “I think
you want to see my daughter.”11
‘Spiritual mother’[edit]
Meeting May Bolles was one of Agnes’ most precious memories. “From that day she became my spiritual mother, and through all the years her tender mother love” became “a guiding star in my life.”12 May “was then very slender and seemed like an angel of light. She gave me some pressed violets which had been given to her by the Master in ‘Akká, and a photograph taken of Him when He was a young man ... The feelings which came over me as I gazed on the photograph cannot be described—in it I beheld my Lord.”13
Above: Agnes Alexander, circa 1895. Left: Agnes (second from left) with college friends in Honolulu in the late 1890s.
The first time Agnes entered the studio where the Bahá’ís of Paris14 gathered, someone asked, “Is she a believer?” Another replied, “Look at her face!” “As I looked around the room,” Agnes said, “I saw the same look of peace and light on the faces. They had found their Lord and were at rest ... Such an atmosphere of pure light pervaded the Paris meetings that one was transported, as it were, from the world of man to that of God.”15
One of the great blessings of her stay in Paris was the coming of Mírzá ‘Abu’l-Faḍl, sent by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to teach the Bahá’ís in Paris before going on to America. Agnes said, “... he was the most gentle and humble person” she had ever met. He told her, “If in the future there are five believers in the Hawaiian Islands, you will have done a great work.”16
During Agnes’ stay in Paris a relative from Honolulu, Clarence Hobron Smith, came for a visit. Agnes was eager to teach him the Faith, but the proper words wouldn’t come. Unable to hold back, she blurted: “Christ has come!” The next day he came to tell her that “the power of the spirit had been so great” when she spoke the day before “that he had believed at once,” thus becoming Hawaii’s second Bahá’í.17
When it came time to leave Paris,
[Page 9]
Agnes received a Tablet from the
Master advising her to be “a divine
bird; proceed to thy native country;
spread the wings of sanctity over those
spots and sing and chant and celebrate
the Name of thy Lord, that thou mayest gladden the Supreme Concourse
and make the seeking souls hasten unto
thee as the moths hasten to the lamp
and thus illumine that distant country
by the Light of God.”18
En route home Agnes spent two months as the guest of Sarah Farmer19 at Green Acre in Eliot, Maine. There she met more of the friends and further deepened her understanding of the Faith.
‘Strange feelings’[edit]
On the morning of December 26, 1901, the S.S. Peru neared Honolulu’s wharf. On board, Agnes said she felt “strange feelings” come over her— “alone I was to stand there, the first Bahá’í to touch that soil. The youngest of my family and hitherto extremely timid, God raised me up to carry His Message to these islands of the Pacific.”20
After her return Agnes continued to live at home. Letters written to her during this period hint at household tensions her new beliefs must have provoked. In one a Bahá’í promises to be cautious in sending her letters.21 Nevertheless, Agnes was determined to let her actions speak for her: “I had to show through my life and not by words, the great happiness that had come into my life.”22 Undoubtedly, she reached some accommodation with her parents, for she lived at home until they died, and correspondence between them remained warm and affectionate to the last.
Two months after her return to Hawaii Clarence Smith came home. Through his efforts, and a visit by Helen and Ella Goodall, Miss Elizabeth Muther (1858-1940) became, in 1902, the first on Hawaiian soil to embrace the Faith. Through Miss Muther, Kanichi Yamamoto (1879-1961) became the first of his race to declare his belief in Bahá’u’lláh. In fact, he accepted Bahá’u’lláh so quickly that Miss Muther was somewhat taken aback. Asked how he knew, Mr. Yamamoto solemnly placed a hand over his heart.
Having no place to hold their meetings, Hawaii’s first four Bahá’ís took the trolley to a lookout above Honolulu where they said their prayers. The group included a gardener, a governess, a clerk and a school teacher.
Virtually no public mention of the Faith was made in Hawaii for the next eight years.23 Agnes and her fellow Bahá’ís taught quietly, patiently, person-to-person. In November 1909 that was changed by the visit of two traveling teachers—Howard Struven of Baltimore and Charles Remey of Washington, D.C. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had sent the two men on a global teaching trip, the first of its kind. The day they landed in Hawaii, Agnes persuaded her father to let them deliver their first address on his lanai (porch). “Would Unite Mankind” ran the headline in the Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Professor Alexander was not amused. He responded with a critical editorial, “What the Bahá’í Movement Really Is.”24
Despite her father’s opposition, many people were attracted to the Cause. The influx of new believers enabled Honolulu to form its first Spiritual Assembly in 1910 with Agnes Alexander as its chairman. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent them a message: “From afar! From afar! I entertain the greatest love for them. Because they are so far away, but yet they have promulgated the word of God there. They have heard it from afar, therefore I am attached to them and bear my greetings to all of them.”25
Professor and Mrs. Alexander both succumbed to old age early in 1913. Agnes said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words rang in her ears: “I have a lamp in My hand searching through the lands and seas to find souls who can become heralds of the Cause. Day and night I am engaged in this work.”26 She prayed that His lamp might find her.
That fall she sailed to the mainland, and from there proceeded to Montreal
Above: Thomas Breakwell, the first English Bahá’í, with May (Bolles) Maxwell in Paris, France.
Paris Bahá’ís in a photograph taken in
1901: (1) Marie L. McKay; (2) H. Emogene Hoagg; (3) May Bolles; (4) Charles Mason Remey; (5) Herbert Hopper.
[Page 10]
to stay with her spiritual mother, May
Bolles Maxwell. Then it was on to New
York City to spend the winter with relatives. While there she received a Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá promising her “Divine confirmations” if she were to travel “toward Japan.”27 She sailed to
Europe in the spring of 1914. As Italy
was “toward Japan,” she decided to
visit her Aunt Lottie and Uncle Guilio
in Milan. Two days before she left Italy
a Serbian terrorist assassinated the
Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo, precipitating World War I.
Agnes was in Switzerland when the doors of Europe began to close. She couldn’t cash her bank drafts. The trunk containing her clothing and other personal effects was in Germany. Her money was running out. And everyone advised her to stay put ... except One. The Master wrote: “It is now more advisable for thee to depart directly to Japan and while there be engaged in the diffusion of the fragrances of God ... Today the greatest of all divine bestowals is teaching the Cause of God for it is fraught with confirmations.”28
She requested passage on the only available ship to Japan, the Miyazaki Maru, which was sailing from London and would make one European stop at Marseilles, France. Unfortunately, all accommodations on the steamer were taken. Desperate, Agnes wrote to a steamship agent in Marseilles saying she would accept anything if he could only get her on board. No answer. As she was reciting the “Remover of Difficulties” someone knocked on the door. The telegram that was handed to her said there was a space if she would come immediately.
Agnes Alexander (seated at right) with Sarah Farmer (standing) at Green Acre, July/August 1902.
Riding in a third class coach with two wounded soldiers, she crossed war-stricken France, arriving safely at Marseilles where the Miyazaki Maru waited at the dock. The ticket agent explained that he was giving her a German woman’s place on board. Since France and Germany were at war he could have the woman arrested if she showed up. Only one other passenger embarked at Marseilles—Mme. Casulli, a Frenchwoman. Coincidentally, she became Agnes’ cabin mate, and before disembarking at Hong Kong she became a Bahá’í!29 Unquestionably, “divine confirmations” were attending Agnes’ every step.
The Miyazaki Maru steamed cautiously toward Japan, running without lights at night to evade the dreaded German battle cruiser Emeden, which was responsible for sinking many ships. After five perilous weeks Agnes disembarked safely at Kobe, Japan, on November 1, 1914. Unfortunately, the ill-fated Miyazaki Maru was sunk on its very next voyage.30
Next: From Japan to Haifa, 1914-1937.
- Professor Alexander (1833-1913) was one of Hawaii’s most distinguished citizens. He was the eldest son of the Rev. William Patterson and Mary Ann Alexander who were in the fifth company of missionaries sent to Hawaii from the U.S. in 1831. Professor Alexander was the Kingdom’s first Surveyor General (1870-1901); a member of the King’s Privy Council; president of Punahou School and Oahu College, and a prolific scholar on a broad range of topics. Mrs. Abigail (Baldwin) Alexander (1833-1913) was the daughter of another famous missionary couple, the Rev. Dr. Dwight and Abigail Charlotte Baldwin. She was born in a grass hut on Hawaii and reared on Maui. As a young woman she accompanied her father on horseback to the villages where she would help in his ministrations to the Hawaiians. In 1850 she sailed to the U.S. with her brother where she studied at Oberlin College. Ten years later she was married to William DeWitt Alexander.
Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl (1844-1914)
- Audio recording of Agnes Alexander in Menlo Park, California, 1961. “Legacies of Service” tape, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1980.
- Abigail Charlotte Alexander Journals, Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society Library, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Letter from Agnes Alexander, September 8, 1900, National Bahá’í Archives, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Agnes Alexander, Forty Years of the Bahá’í Cause in Hawaii: 1902-1942 (Honolulu: National Spiritual Assembly, rev. ed., June 1974), p. 7.
- Ibid.
- Notes of David Ned Blackmer taken October 15, 1959, in Rome, Italy. National Bahá’í Archives, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Agnes Alexander, Forty Years, p. 7.
- Ibid.
- May Ellis Bolles (1870-1940), later to become Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell, was taught the Faith by Lua Getsinger in 1898. In December of that year she was in the first party of Western pilgrims to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and wrote a moving account of that experience in An Early Pilgrimage. She is the mother of Mary Maxwell, who became Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, the wife of Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith (1921-57). ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once said of May Maxwell: “Whoever meets her feels from her associa-
- tion the susceptibilities of the Kingdom. Her company uplifts and develops the soul.” (Quoted in Star of the West, 10:13, p. 247). She died in 1940, only a month after reaching her pioneering post in Buenos Aires, Argentina—the second American to be designated a martyr by Shoghi Effendi (the first was Keith Ransom-Kehler).
- Alexander, Forty Years, p. 8.
- Audio recording of Agnes Alexander in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 1964. National Bahá’í Archives, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Ibid.
- The Paris Bahá’í community of 1901 was the spiritual heart of Europe—the favorite stop-over of “God-intoxicated pilgrims” (God Passes By, p.259) recently returned from the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Master once wrote to them: “All men are asleep; you are awake. All eyes are blind; yours are seeing. All ears are deaf; your hearing is clear. All tongues are mute; you are eloquent. All humanity is dead; and you are full of life, vigor and force through the benefits of the Holy Spirit.” (The Bahá’í World, Vol. XIII, pp. 878-79).
- Alexander, Forty Years, p. 8.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid., p. 9.
- Sarah Farmer (1847-1916), a disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, was described by Agnes in a letter home as “a woman with a soul that could hold the world. She is always ready to take in & help anyone. It matters not what their past may be. Her only aim is to help humanity.” (Letter dated September 22, 1901, in National Bahá’í Archives, Honolulu. In 1900 Miss Farmer met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa and became a Bahá’í. The Green Acre School in Eliot, Maine, is her legacy to the Faith. (World Order magazine, July 1946, pp. 105-09.)
- Alexander, Forty Years, p. 10.
- Letter from Charles Mason Remey, dated December 22, 1905, in National Bahá’í Archives, Honolulu.
- Alexander, Forty Years, p. 10.
- It should be noted that Agnes Alexander took a steamship trip to Alaska between July 19-27, 1905. She visited Ketchikan, Wrangell, Tonka, Juneau, Treadwell, Skagway, White Horse, Haines, Hunter’s Bay, Hillinore and Sitka. It is not known what mention, if any, she made of the Faith in those places. Nevertheless, it earns her the distinction of having been the first Bahá’í to set foot in that land. (Letters of Agnes B. Alexander dated July 19, 22 and 25, 1905, in National Bahá’í Archives, Honolulu.)
- Professor Alexander remained unsympathetic to the Cause to the end of his life. Two years before his death he wrote to a Christian clergyman charging that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá “permits himself to be worshipped by American women, who believe him to be a reincarnation of Jesus Christ”; that “Bahá’ísm aims at superintending Christianity, whose cardinal doctrines it rejects ... Long after Bahá’ísm shall have died out, Jesus Christ will be Lord of all.” (Letter from William D. Alexander dated October 9, 1911, at Cooke Library, Punahou School, Honolulu.)
- Alexander, Forty Years, p. 22.
- Ibid., p. 24.
- Agnes Alexander, History of the Bahá’í Faith in Japan: 1914-1938. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Japan, 1977, p. 8.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. 7, No. 5, p. 35.
- Alexander, Japan, p. 11.
- Audio recording of Agnes Alexander in Menlo Park, California, 1961.
Above: Hawaii’s first Bahá’í Group meets at Pacific Heights, overlooking Honolulu. From left to right: Kanichi Yamamoto, Elizabeth Muther, Ella Bailey, Agnes Alexander. Below: A Bahá’í meeting in Honolulu, circa 1909. (1) is Agnes Alexander; (2) Elizabeth Muther; (3) Howard Struven of Baltimore, Maryland; (4) Charles Mason Remey of Washington, D.C.; (5) Dr. Augur.
The world[edit]
Nigeria: Bahá’í funeral proclaims Faith[edit]
A Bahá’í funeral last June 3 in Obio-Offot, Nigeria, proclaimed the Faith to more than 500 people who came to pay their last respects to Pius Etim Udoh who was known as Chief Etiaba and was the secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Obio-Offot.
The funeral service began with songs by the Bahá’ís and a talk about the Faith which was broadcast to the large crowd through a loudspeaker system.
When the Bahá’ís were ready to give the microphone to others, the chief’s family asked them to continue, so the Bahá’í program went on into the night.
Participants at the burial the following day included Bahá’ís from neighboring communities and Counsellor Friday Ekpe who spoke about the Faith to a crowd that again numbered more than 500. After the casket was put in place, the Prayer for the Dead was recited.
Referring to the funeral, one of the Bahá’ís who took part said, “In this way the Bahá’í Faith became well known to the area and to many people who had traveled from far places. It was the first time for many Bahá’ís to witness a Bahá’í burial. This had a strong effect on all the Bahá’ís.”
United Kingdom[edit]
Dr. Iain Palin (left), chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, presents books on the Faith to Councillor Len Green (right), the mayor of Londonderry, during a meeting August 5 at the mayor’s office. Also present were Kevin Proudman (second from right), secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Londonderry, and Councillor John McNickle, the deputy mayor. Following the discussion, the mayor publicly condemned the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and extended his sympathy to the Bahá’í community.
A tree-planting ceremony in memory of the recent Bahá’í martyrs in Iran was held last March 26 in Abergavenny, Gwent, Wales.
The tree was planted by the mayor of the town after a brief ceremony that was attended by Bahá’ís from three nearby towns and a local newspaper reporter.
After the ceremony, the mayor and his wife spent several hours at the home of a Bahá’í and showed interest in a presentation of Bahá’í subjects including slides of a pilgrimage.
Dominican Republic[edit]
About 75 people, most of whom were non-Bahá’ís, attended a public meeting July 29 in the city hall of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, that marked the first day of a three-day Bahá’í National Teaching Conference.
The conference was begun with a picnic outing sponsored by a nearby Bahá’í community. Using the theme “What Every Bahá’í Can Do,” the conference classes dealt with prayer, meditation, teaching, service, and sacrifice.
Publicity for the conference was obtained on all three local radio stations.
A national conference on children’s education organized by the National Children’s Committee of the Dominican Republic was held last May 13-15 in Santo Domingo.
The conference began with a public talk on “Ideal Education” at the National Public Library. Conference speakers were professionals in education or psychology, and their talks focused on the psychology of learning, music, art, science in the classroom, and manual arts.
Japan[edit]
The first Bahá’í wedding in Kyushu, Japan, took place last May 15. The bride, Hiroko Goto (front row, third from left) and two other young women declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh that evening. Bahá’ís and seekers make up the rest of the group shown here. The newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Hidemitsu Goto, are members of the Bahá’í community of Chikushino City, where Motoko Power, a pioneer from the United States, is now living.
Cape Verde Islands[edit]
The search continues for suitable Temple land near Praia, Cape Verde Islands, seat of a new National Spiritual Assembly to be formed during the Seven Year Plan.
Progress has been made toward recognition of the Faith by the government of that small nation, which is made up of 10 volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa near the continent’s “bulge.”
A National Center was acquired last April, and one of the Cape Verdean Bahá’ís has donated a parcel of land as the first national Endowment.
The islands, assigned to Senegal until their development to National Assembly status, have been visited this year by a series of traveling teachers whose efforts have resulted in 114 new Bahá’ís since last January.
South Africa[edit]
William Masehla, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa, died July 17 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mr. Masehla was appointed a Counsellor in Southern Africa on March 12, 1976, and was reappointed in 1980 when the scope of the Board was widened to embrace the entire continent. On the day of his passing, the Universal House of Justice sent the following message to all National Spiritual Assemblies in Africa: ‘Deeply mourn loss outstanding promoter Faith William Masehla. His long record devoted services sheds imperishable lustre annals Faith southern Africa. Praying Shrines progress his noble soul Abhá Kingdom ...”
Ecuador[edit]
Asghar and Marzieh Naziris (center), pioneers to Baños, Ecuador, from the United Kingdom, are shown here with some of the 22 youth they have brought into the Faith in Baños. Mr. and Mrs. Naziris were married in England only four years ago. They pioneered to Ecuador in February 1981 and have been successfully teaching the Faith there since then.
A lengthy article about Radio Bahá’í in Ecuador appears in the May 15 issue of “Frequency,” the official newsletter of the World Conference of Community Oriented Radio Broadcasters.
The informative article stresses the Quechua-language programming of Radio Bahá’í which, from the beginning, made up 35 per cent of the station’s programming and has now increased to 50 per cent with a goal of 80 per cent by 1985.
It also emphasizes the staff’s indigenous personnel and says that a recent survey shows a remarkable listener figure—94 per cent of the potential audience in the region, despite the fact that 30 stations can be heard in Otavalo.
New shortwave and medium wave (AM) antennas for Radio Bahá’í were installed in May and June.
According to where he lives, a Bahá’í in Ecuador can tune in the programs on shortwave from Monday to Saturday on the 60-meter band at a frequency of 4.990 kHz. Or, in the northern part of the country, in the valleys of Cayambe and Imbabura, the other signal can be heard daily on AM radio on a frequency of 1.420 kHz.
Hawaii[edit]
Dr. Duane Troxel (right), a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands, is interviewed by a reporter from KHON-TV in Honolulu during the Bahá’í National Convention last May 28. The interview, conducted at the Bahá’í National Center in Honolulu, focused on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and followed President Reagan’s statement in support of the Bahá’ís in that country.
Hundreds of residents of Hawaii honored the recent Bahá’í martyrs in Iran during the Japanese Bon Dance festival July 23 in Haleiwa.
During the evening, participants including about 12 Bahá’ís placed lit candles inside paper lanterns and set them asail in the Pacific Ocean.
The Bahá’ís had written on the lanterns in English and Japanese that this symbol was in honor of our Bahá’í brothers and sisters martyred in Iran.
Bophuthatswana[edit]
A six-member delegation representing the National Spiritual Assembly of Bophuthatswana was received last May 6 by His Excellency Kgosi L.M. Mangope, president of the Republic of Bophuthatswana.
Also present were three ministers of religion, one of whom is the country’s Minister of Internal Affairs.
The Bahá’ís brought the president up to date on the status of the Bahá’í community in Bophuthatswana, outlined briefly the teachings of the Faith, and presented him with a copy of Bahá’u’lláh’s Proclamation to the Kings and the book A Crown of Beauty.
The Bahá’ís also detailed for the president the present situation with regard to persecutions in Iran and sought recognition for the Faith from His Excellency.
The president responded to the effect that the Bahá’ís had no right to feel that they were not recognized. He explained that the constitution allows for freedom of worship, adding that the Bahá’ís have every right to “carry on as any other religion in Bophuthatswana.”
The Faith was formally introduced to the president in 1979 by the Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone.
Sixty youth from six countries participated June 26 in an International Bahá’í Youth Conference in Bophuthatswana.
The youth represented South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana as well as the host country. All took part enthusiastically in discussions of marriage, chastity, teaching, and sacrifice.
Finland[edit]
A statement was submitted by the Bahá’í International Community last April 26 to the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements in Helsinki, Finland.
The Bahá’í paper draws on the Writings to endorse the preparations being made for the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless to be observed in 1987.
Giovanni Ballerio of the European office of the Bahá’í International Community presented the statement during the Helsinki meeting.
Mr. Ballerio alluded to the “participatory approach to community development” characteristic of thousands of Bahá’í communities throughout the world, adding that our experience shows the practical uses of consultation—listening to the hopes, thoughts and feelings of others, and balancing individual needs and social good.
In applauding the work of the Habitat Conference in Helsinki and the constructive work toward the solution of global problems via conferences, committees, commissions and projects sponsored by the UN, the Bahá’í representative assured the Commission of support for its efforts from the 100,000 Bahá’í centers in 165 countries.
United States[edit]
Members of the Bahá’í Youth Workshop from Los Angeles perform during the annual ‘Juneteenth’ celebration in Phoenix, Arizona.
Nearly 100 Bahá’í youth from multiracial backgrounds including Hispanic, black, Asian and white participated June 15 in the annual “Juneteenth” celebration in Phoenix, Arizona.
Juneteenth is observed by that city’s black community as the day on which the Emancipation Proclamation reached the slaves in Texas, making them free citizens.
Members of the Bahá’í Youth Workshop from Los Angeles, California, presented a show entitled “I Gotta Try,” about alternatives to drug and alcohol use, written and choreographed by a professional actor from Los Angeles.
Stu Gilliam, a black Bahá’í from Los Angeles who is a professional entertainer, was asked to be grand marshal for the annual event.
The program’s sponsors presented Mr. Gilliam and the Youth Workshop with wall plaques in appreciation for their participation.
New Zealand[edit]
Bahá’ís from a wide range of cultural backgrounds in New Zealand joined the community of Maoris (indigenous New Zealanders) last May for a national Bahá’í “hui” (gathering) held on the Marae, a traditional meeting place of the Maoris in Kaltupeka.
The gathering was opened by Maori elders, after which a Persian Bahá’í spoke about the life of Bahá’u’lláh. A Saturday evening concert included music by a local Maori cultural group, Samoan songs, a Samoan “slap dance,” and songs in Hebrew.
On Sunday, Bahá’í speakers made presentations on life after death and the power of the Bahá’í Teachings to overcome hatred and prejudice. A delegate who recently returned from the Bahá’í International Convention in Haifa, Israel, spoke about the unity of God’s Messengers.
The hui ended with a lunch, farewell speeches, and more songs.
A favorable article about the Bahá’í hui was published May 5 in the Tamuarunui Gazette.
Left: Mrs. Rihi Barrett, a Maori Bahá’í from North Island, New Zealand, stands at the centerpost of the meeting hall at Kaltupeka and calls visiting Bahá’ís into the ancestral Maori courtyard last May for the ‘hui’ (meeting) that brought together people from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Below: Jean Simmons, a Bahá’í from Auckland, New Zealand, teaches Maori children a Bahá’í prayer during the Bahá’í ‘hui’ (meeting) last May on the Marae at Kaltupeka. Mrs. Simmons wrote out prayers for the children, stressing the importance of prayer and an awareness of God’s bounties.
Portugal[edit]
The first acquisition of land for the Faith in Portugal since the time of the Guardian was completed in January.
A local Bahá’í Center will be constructed on the property in Elvas, fulfilling part of a goal of the Seven Year Plan to acquire five local Centers by the end of the Plan.
Switzerland[edit]
The official opening of the Bahá’í Center of Landegg was announced last June in a cablegram to the Universal House of Justice from the National Spiritual Assembly of Switzerland.
The Supreme Body replied in a cable which expressed the hope that the Landegg Center might develop “into a beacon for the Cause of God in (the) heart of Europe.”
The Center is located on the southern shore of Lake Constance near Rorschach, not far from Austria, Germany, and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
One hundred seventy-five Bahá’ís from 14 countries participated in the two-day inaugural program with representatives of local government, ecclesiastical and other groups.
Last June, the National Spiritual Assembly of Switzerland prepared a schedule of events for the summer months at the new facility that includes six summer school sessions and classes in German, Italian, English and French along with a special summer session for children.
Norway[edit]
One hundred-fourteen people attended the annual Norwegian Bahá’í Summer School held July 9-17 in Gausdal, north of Oslo.
The school’s theme was “Turning Point.” Speakers included the Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery and Counsellor Betty Reed.
Included were workshops, role playing, and separate classes for youth and children.
A Bahá’í wedding was held during the school session, and the event attracted coverage from local and national newspapers.
Sixty-two people attended the fifth Bahá’í Summer Camp last June 26 at Svolvaer, Norway, above the Arctic Circle. Participants included Bahá’ís and their guests from Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Speakers included Polin Rafat, a member of the Auxiliary Board in Norway; and Lisa Oja, an Auxiliary Board member from Finland.
The theme of the camp was “The magnets that the Bahá’ís have to call on spiritual power: prayer, reading the Writings, living the Bahá’í life, and teaching by words and deeds.”
Consultation was held on the messages from the Universal House of Justice to the Dublin conference and to the Bahá’í youth of the world.
A strong appeal was made to youth, expressing faith in their unique ability and strength to spread the light of the Faith.
Italy[edit]
Italy’s national television news service recently featured a three-minute report on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.
Describing Bahá’u’lláh as “Messenger of the Omnipotent” and referring to “His Holiness the Báb,” the report showed the demolished House of the Báb in Shíráz.
A photograph of the recently completed Seat of the Universal House of Justice also was shown, while Bahá’í statistics on believers and institutions in Italy and worldwide were quoted.
The commentary showed great sympathy for the persecuted Bahá’ís.
Mexico[edit]
Some of the 40 children who attended a Bahá’í Winter School last February 25-27 at the Martha Root Institute in Muna, Yucatan, enjoy a workshop for them on the institute’s spacious back porch. More than 100 people from seven states in Mexico attended the school. The children were taught by four volunteers.
Zaire[edit]
Two Bahá’í women sing songs about the Faith in a 45-minute film made for television by the director of TV production in Kivu, Zaire.
The quality and subject matter of the film drew favorable comment during its first showing in Zaire last May 3.
More than 1,300 people in Uvira, Zaire, attended a recent showing of the film “The Green Light Expedition” which is about a South American teaching trip by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum.
The presention, made during “Teaching Week” in Kivu, was followed by another showing of the film for an audience of 300 including government authorities and thought leaders.
A slide presentation on the Faith was shown recently in Sange to an audience of 500.
As a result, a good relationship was established with the Cooperative of Sange, an organization that joins together thousands of peasants.
Canada[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Guelph, Canada, was one of four sponsors of a “continuing forum” on women’s potential that was held during a four-week period last May and June at the University of Guelph.
Four of eight lectures relating to the theme “Releasing Women’s Potential” were delivered by Bahá’ís.
The topics and speakers were “Attitude: The Invisible Chain,” by Dr. Phyllis Perrakis, lecturer in English literature at the University of Ottawa; “Women as the Main Builders of Peace,” by Dr. Hossain B. Danesh, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Ottawa Medical School and chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada; “The Equality of Men and Women,” by Carol Bowie, an Auxiliary Board member and former newspaper columnist and television hostess; and “The History of Women,” by professional actress Paisley Glen.
THE WORLD
|
| same size as the hardcover edition 28 photographs |
that is stirring the hearts and The life story |
| To Move the World is more than a biography of Louis George Gregory. It also explores the social and racial forces at work in the United States during his lifetime (1874-1951) and the dynamics of the Bahá’í Faith that were shaping a community unequivocally committed to the oneness of mankind and the elimination of racial prejudice.
Louis Gregory’s story presents a rich tapestry that invites deep and thoughtful study. He was a lawyer, one of the “talented tenth”; yet he gave up a promising career to devote his energies full-time to spreading the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith in the South and throughout the United States. He knew and associated with virtually all of the black leaders of his day and many leading whites as well. He was repeatedly elected to national Bahá’í office by a predominantly white membership. He was widely known as a lecturer and write on racial unity and a variety of other progressive principles. But whether as writer, lecturer, or administrator, Louis G. Gregory stood in the forefront of every struggle the American Bahá’ís made to establish racial amity. Today, some thirty years after his death, Louis Gregory still stands as a beacon and a tower of strength who bequeathed a legacy showing how it is possible to eliminate racial prejudice from our lives and, in so doing, to move the world. |
| GAYLE MORRISON is an educator, a business-woman, and an historian. She has published a guide to books on Southeast Asian history, a number of articles on a variety of topics, and has served on the Editorial Board of World Order magazine. She lives with her husband and two children in Hawaii. |
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