Bahá’í News/Issue 30/Text
THE BULLETIN OF THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHA’IS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Office of the Secretary
P. O. BOX 139, STATION D, NEW YORK CITY
LETTERS FROM SHOGHI EFFENDI[edit]
To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout the West.
Dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in ’Abdu’l-Bahá!
With feelings of profound sorrow I am moved to address you these few lines mourning the loss which the Cause has undoubtedly sustained by the passing of one who, for many years and in circumstances of exceptional significance, rendered the sacred Threshold distinctive and inestimable services. The hand of Divine Decree has removed, by the death of our talented and dearly-beloved friend, Mr. Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, yet another outstanding figure in the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, who, by his brilliant gifts of mind and heart as well as by the divers achievements of his life, has truly enriched the annals of God’s immortal Faith.
A pioneer of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh ever since its celestial light first warmed and illuminated the West, he has, by his close association with the person of ’Abdu’l-Bahá, by his contact with all sections of society, by his scholarly presentation of the history and fundamentals of the Faith, and lastly by his unforgettable share in the settlement of the complex and pressing issues that called for expert assistance in the days following ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, achieved a standing which few have as yet attained.
The days of his spiritual communion with ’Abdu’l-Bahá and His household within the walls of the prison-city of ’Akká, wherein he imbibed the principles which he later so ably expounded to the peoples of the West; his pre-eminent role on his return to Paris in kindling the torch which is destined to shed eternal illumination upon his native land and its people; the links of abiding fellowship which he forged with our Persian brethren in the course of the historic mission entrusted to his charge by our Beloved; the seeds which he scattered far and wide during his subsequent travels to the heart of Asia, throughout India, beyond the remotest villages of Burma and as far as the eastern confines of Indo-China; the able support he lent in its initial and intermediary stages to the case of Bahá’u’lláh’s house in Bagdad; his unhesitating intervention with State officials in paving the way for the ultimate emancipation of our Egyptian brethren from the yoke of orthodox Islám; the stimulating encouragement his visit caused to the Bahá’i community of Tunis on the northern shores of Africa; and last but not least the ability and diligence with which be applied himself to the solution of the delicate and vexing problems of the Holy Land in the critical years following ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s ascension—all stand out as memorable landmarks in a life that was as varied in its international aspects as it was rich in its spiritual experience.
His gifts of unfailing sympathy and penetrating insight, his wide knowledge and mature experience, all of which he utilized for the glory and propagation of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, will be gratefully remembered by future generations who, as the days go by, will better estimate the abiding value of the responsibilities he shouldered for the introduction and consolidation of the Bahá’i Faith in the Western world.
Suffering as he did in his last days from the effects of a slow and painful illness, he bore heroically his share of the afflictions of the world, and is now in the realms of blissful deliverance partaking his full share of the goodly reward which he certainly deserved.
To me, and particularly amid the storm and stress that have agitated my life after ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, he was a sustaining and comforting companion, a most valued counselor, an intimate and trusted friend.
With much emotion and the deepest sense of gratitude I supplicate at the holy Threshold—and request you to join with me in my prayers—for the spiritual advancement in the realms above of a soul who by the sheer merit of the signal services he rendered already deserves to rank highly among the departed faithful.
- May he forever rest in peace.
Haifa, Palestine,
December 21, l928.
The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout the West.
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
Whilst the Bahá’ís of Persia, constituting the overwhelming majority of the adherents of the Bahá’i Faith in eastern lands, are tasting the first-fruits of their long-dreamed emancipation, a not inconsiderable section of Bahá’u’lláh’s following in the East, inhabiting the provinces of Caucasus and Turkistan, are being subjected to trials and tribulations not very dissimilar, though inferior in intensity, to the afflictions borne so long and so heroically by their Persian brethren.
In my last communication to you I have attempted to depict the nature and swiftness of those liberating forces which today is being released in Persia by an enlightened regime determined to shake off with unconcealed contempt the odious fetters of a long standing tyranny. And I feel that a description of the very perplexing situation with which our brethren in Russia find themselves confronted
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of the Bahá’is of the United States and Canada
P.O. BOX 139, Station D, New York City Office of the Treasurer 1821 Lincoln Street Evanston, Ill.
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fronted at present will serve to complete the picture which responsible believers in the West must bear in mind of the critical and swiftly moving changes that are transforming the face of the East.
Ever since the counter-revolution that proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of Czarist Russia the dictatorship of the Proletariat, and the subsequent incorporation of the semi-independent territories of Caucasus and Turkistan within the orbit of Soviet rule, the varied and numerous Bahá’i institutions established in the past by heroic pioneers of the Faith have been brought into direct and sudden contact with the internal convulsions necessitated by the establishment and maintenance of an order so fundamentally at variance with Russia’s previous regime. The avowed purpose and action of the responsible heads of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics who, within their recognized and legitimate rights, have emphatically proclaimed and vigorously pursued their policy of uncompromising opposition to all forms of organized religious propaganda, have by their very nature created for those whose primary obligation is to labor unremittingly for the spread of the Bahá’i Faith a state of affairs that is highly unfortunate and perplexing. For ten years, however, ever since the promulgation of that policy, by some miraculous interposition of Providence, the Bahá’is of Soviet Russia has been spared the strict application to their, institutions of the central principle that directs and animates the policy of the Soviet state. Although subjected, as all Russian citizens have been, ever since the outbreak of the Revolution, to the unfortunate consequences of civil strife and external war, and particularly to the internal commotions that must necessarily accompany far-reaching changes in the structure of society, such as partial expropriation of private property, excessive taxation and the curtailment of the right of personal initiative and enterprise; yet in matters of worship and in the conduct of their administrative and purely non-political activities they have, thanks to the benevolent attitude of their rulers, enjoyed an almost unrestricted freedom in the exercise of their public duties.
Lately, however, due to circumstances wholly beyond their control and without being in the least implicated in political or subversive activity, our Bahá’i brethren in those provinces have had to endure the rigid application of the principles already enunciated by the state authorities and universally enforced with regard to all other religious communities under their sway. Faithful to their policy of expropriating in the interests of the State all edifices and monuments of a religious character, they have a few months ago approached the Bahá’i representatives in Turkistan, and after protracted negotiations with them, decided to claim and enforce their right of ownership and control of that most cherished and universally prized Bahá’i possession, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of ’Ishqabad. The insistent and repeated, representations made by the Bahá’is, dutifully submitted and stressed by their local and national representatives, and duly reinforced by the action of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of Persia, emphasizing the international character and spiritual significance of the Edifice and its close material as well as spiritual connection with the divers Bahá’i communities throughout the East and West, have alas! Proved of no avail. The beloved Temple, which had been seized and expropriated and for three months closed under the seal of the Municipal authorities was reopened and meetings were allowed to be conducted within its walls only after the acceptance and signature by the Bahá’i Spiritual Assembly of ’Ishqubad of an elaborate contract drawn by the Soviet authorities and recognizing the right of undisputed ownership by the State of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and its dependencies. According to this contract, the Temple is rented by the State for a period of five years to the local Bahá’i community of that town, and in it are stipulated a number of obligations, financial and otherwise, expressly providing for fines and penalties in the event of the evasion or infringement of its provisions.
To these measures which the State,
in the free exercise of its legitimate
rights, has chosen to enforce, and with
which the Bahá’is, as befits their position
as loyal and law-abiding citizens,
have complied, others have followed
which though of a different
character are none the less grievously
affecting our beloved Cause. In
Baku, the seat of the Soviet Republic
of Caucasus, as well as in Ganjih and
other neighboring towns, state orders,
orally and in writing, have been officially
communicated to the Bahá’i
Assemblies and individual believers,
suspending all meetings, commemoration
gatherings and festivals, suppressing
the committees of all Bahá’i local
and national Spiritual Assemblies,
prohibiting the raising of funds and the[Page 3]
transmission of financial contributions
to any center within or without Soviet
jurisdiction, requiring the right of full
and frequent inspection of the deliberations,
decisions, plans and action of
the Bahá’i Assemblies, dissolving
young men’s clubs and children’s
organizations, imposing a strict censorship
on all correspondence to and from
Bahá’i Assemblies, directing a minute
investigation of Assemblies’ papers
and documents, suspending all Bahá’i
periodicals, bulletins and magazines,
and requiring the deportation of
leading personalities in the Cause
whether as public teachers and speakers
or officers of Bahá’i Assemblies.
To all these the followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh have with feelings of burning agony and heroic fortitude unanimously and unreservedly submitted, ever mindful of the guiding principles of Bahá’i conduct that in connection with their administrative activities, no matter how grievously interference with them might affect the course of the extension of the Movement, and the suspension of which does not constitute in itself a departure from the principle of loyalty to their Faith, the considered judgment and authoritative decrees issued by their responsible rulers must, if they be faithful to Bahá’u’lláh’s and ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s express injunctions, be thoroughly respected and loyally obeyed. In matters, however, that vitally affect the integrity and honor of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and are tantamount to a recantation of their faith and repudiation of their innermost belief, they are convinced, and are unhesitatingly prepared to vindicate by their life-blood the sincerity of their conviction, that no power on earth, neither the arts of the most insidious adversary nor the bloody weapons of the most tyrannical oppressor, can ever succeed in extorting from them a word or deed that might tend to stifle the voice of their conscience or tarnish the purity of their faith. Clinging with immovable resolution to the inviolable verities of their cherished Faith, our solely-tried brethren in Caucasus and Turkistan have none the less, as befits law-abiding Bahá’i citizens resolved, after having exhausted every legitimate means for the alleviation of the restrictions imposed upon them, to definitely uphold and conscientiously carry out the considered judgment of their recognized government. They have with a hope that no earthly power can dim, and a resignation that is truly sublime, committed the interests of their Cause to the keeping of that vigilant, that all-powerful Divine Deliverer, who, they feel confident, will in time lift the veil that now obscures the vision of their rulers, and reveal the nobility of aim, the innocence of purpose, the rectitude of conduct, and the humanitarian ideals that characterize the as yet small yet potentially powerful Bahá’i communities in every land and under any government.
Should the present restrictions increase in number and stringency, should a situation arise that would so endanger the position of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in ’Ishqabad as to necessitate the intervention of the Bahá’i world, I will call upon the National and Local Bahá’i Spiritual Assemblies in the East and the West to arise with one accord and lend their moral support to those of their brethren whose particular mission and privilege is to keep watch over that consecrated ground on which already has been erected the central Structure of Bahá’u’lláh’s First Universal House of Worship. I will urge them to take whatever action is deemed advisable in order to demonstrate the solidarity of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, to dispel whatever doubts and apprehensions may yet linger in the minds of the State officials in that land, and to restore their suspected brethren to the esteem and confidence of their governors. I will specially request them to proclaim in their written representations to the authorities concerned their absolute repudiation of whatever ulterior motive or political design may be imputed to them by their malignant adversaries, and to reaffirm in unmistakable terms the purely humanitarian and spiritual nature of the work in which Bahá’is in every land and of every race are unitedly engaged. I will moreover ask them to assert the international character of the Bahá’i Edifice in ’Ishqabad and to stress the close bonds of material interest and spiritual fellowship that bind Bahá’i communities the world over to an Edifice that can rightly claim the distinction of being Bahá’u’lláh’s First Universal House of Worship, of being conceived in its design by ’Abdu’l-Bahá Himself, constructed and completed in His days and under His direction, and supported by the collective contributions of the believers throughout the world. The hour for such a world-wide and concentrated appeal is not yet come, but it behooves us, while expectantly watching from a distance the moving spectacle of the struggling Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, to seek abiding solace and strength from the reflection that whatever befalls this Cause, however grievous and humiliating the visitations that from time to time may seem to afflict the organic life or interfere with the functions of the administrative machinery of the Bahá’i Faith, such calamities cannot but each eventually prove to be a blessing in disguise designed, by a Wisdom inscrutable to us all, to establish and consolidate the sovereignty of Bahá’u’lláh on this earth.
What we have already witnessed in
connection with the latest developments
regarding the case of Bahá’u’lláh’s
House in Baghdad affords
abundant evidence of the truth of the
observation that has just been made.
In its initial stages appearing to the
superficial observer as a petty dispute
submitted to an obscure and antiquated
Shiite court, the case has gradually
evolved into a paramount issue engaging
the attention of the highest tribunal
of ‘Iraq. In its latest stages,
it has gathered such strength, secured
such publicity, and received such support
from the chancelleries of Europe,
as to become a subject fit for the consideration
not only of the specific international
Commission ultimately responsible
for the administration of
Mandated Territories but of the leading
Signatories of the Covenant of the
League of Nations that are represented
in the Council of the League itself.
Few, if any among those closely associated with the case did at first imagine or expect that dwellings which to outward seeming, appeared only as a cluster of humble and decrepit buildings lost amid the obscure and tortuous lanes of old Bagdad could ever obtain such prominence as to become the object of the deliberations of the highest international Tribunal that the hand of man has thus far reared for the amicable settlement of his affairs. Whatever the decision of the world’s highest Tribunal regarding the petition submitted to it by the Bahá’is of ‘Iraq —and none can deny that should its verdict be in our favor, a triumph unparalleled in its magnitude will have been achieved for our beloved Faith— the work already accomplished is in itself an abundant proof of the sustaining confirmations that are being showered upon the upholders of the case from the realm on high.
I cannot refrain from giving expression
in this connection to my feelings
of profound appreciation of the ceaseless
vigilance and marked distinction
with which our precious brother and
fellow-worker, Mr. Mountfort Mills,
has undertaken and is still shouldering
this sacred and historic mission committed
to his charge. His unremitting
labors, despite ill-health and domestic
anxieties and cares, are worthy of the[Page 4]
highest praise and will be gratefully
recorded in the annals of an immortal
Cause.
Surely, if we read the history of this case aright, we cannot but discern the direction which the forces, released by these prophetic utterances of Bahá’u’lláh sixty years ago, are destined to take in the eventual solution of this mighty issue:—
“In truth, I declare, it shall be so abused in the days to come as to cause tears to flow from every discerning eye. . . . And in the fulness of time shall the Lord, by the power of truth, exalt it in the eyes of all the world, cause it to become the mighty standard of His Dominion, the Shrine round which shall circle the concourse of the faithful.”
- Your true brother,
Haifa, Palestine.
January 1, 1929.
Meeting of the National Assembly[edit]
The proceedings of the meeting held by the National Spiritual Assembly in New York City, January 12 and 13, 1929, are summarized here for the information of delegates and believers.
The letters from Shoghi Effendi (later published in the Special Number of the NEWS LETTER in January) were read and their importance deeply felt. The secretary was instructed to issue a letter to delegates and local secretaries, urging them to constitute a committee for calling on any believers, not attending the general meetings regularly and emphasizing the significance of these communications from Haifa. A necklace presented by Mrs. Rhoda Harvey of Vancouver, B. C., was placed in the hands of the Finance Committee to sell for the benefit of the National Fund. Gifts of money were recorded in the minutes as received from Ishquabad and also Sultanabad. The announcement was made that two believers have pledged the sum of $100,000 to the National Fund, payable before the 1929 Convention, the names of the donors to be withheld at their request until after the Convention. The Committee on Plan for Unified Action was instructed to prepare a general letter informing the believers of this large donation and also mentioning examples of special sacrifice being made by American believers this year. The treasurer reported that during December, 1928, the sum of $20,966.13 had been received and $2,266.31 expended by the National Fund. Cash and securities on hand December 31 were $69,374.81. The treasurer was instructed to transfer the sum of $25,000 from the National Fund to the Temple Construction Fund. The Convention Committee made a preliminary report on arrangements for the 1929 Convention. The following treasures were placed in the custody of the Archives Committee: An illuminated manuscript of the Tablet of Iqan, a comb of Bahá’u’lláh, a pen case with two pens, used by ’Abdu’l-Bahá. Voted to request the Archives Committee to report on ways and means to catalog the Tablets and other objects now in its custody. Mr. McDaniel was authorized to make an immediate and full investigation of the Temple architectural and engineering plans, and also to consult with leading experts on building materials, and report to the National Assembly, in order that this body may be in a position to obviate any delay in the construction of the first section of the Temple when the necessary funds are in hand. A Power of Attorney, submitted by the Legal Committee, authorizing Shoghi Effendi to act for the Assembly in the matter of lands on Mt. Carmel purchased by the American believers, was approved. The following Green Acre Committee was appointed for the 1929 season: Mr. Louis Gregory, chairman; Mr. Albert R. Vail, Mrs. Grace Ober, Mrs. Henry Green and Mr. Philip Marangella. A form of bequest to be used by believers desiring to leave money or other gifts to the Cause in America, submitted by the Legal Committee, was approved. It was recorded in the minutes that the Bahái groups at the South Gate and at Santa Barbara, California, now number nine believers each. The Teaching Committee reported on current plans. It was recommended that the Teaching and Inter-Racial Amity Committees cooperate on a series of public meetings. A draft of 1929 Convention letter, calling for the election of delegates, was approved. The secretary was instructed to supply Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler a letter of credentials to be used during her teaching trip to the West Indies. The suggestion that the American Bahá’is affiliate with an established church of liberal character was not approved, since the Cause cannot be restricted from the purposes and methods laid down in the accepted writings, by contract or agreement with any non-Bahá’i body. The next meeting is to be held in New York City, March 16 and 17, 1929.
Meeting of the Trustees Under the Bahá’i Temple Indenture[edit]
As already noted in the NEWS LETTER, the Temple property at Wilmette, formerly vested in Bahá’i Temple Unity, has been transferred to the nine members of the National Assembly as “trustees for the benefit of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of the United States and Canada,” under an Indenture duly recorded in the office of the County Recorder of Cook County, Illinois. These trustees, therefore, in relation to the Temple property, constitute a body, maintaining records distinct from those of the National Assembly, and in these matters acting under their title as trustees. Those elected to the National Assembly each year will constitute the nine trustees serving under this Indenture, thus preserving the essential principles of Bahá’i administration.
The first meeting of the trustees was held in New York on January 12, 1929. The officers elected parallel those of the National Assembly, Mr. Allen B. McDaniel, chairman; Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, vice-chairman; Mr. Horace Holley, secretary, and Mr. Carl Scheffler, treasurer. Voted that the treasurer be authorized to open a checking account in the Northern Trust Company of Chicago to be known as the Bahá’i Temple Fund, all disbursements from which are to be authorized by the trustees. Mr. A. J. Matthiesen was appointed countersigning officer, to countersign checks on the above fund. Current Temple bills are in future to be paid from the Bahá’i Temple Fund by the trustees, and the permanent Temple construction fund is in their custody in trust for the National Assembly. Future meetings will be held subject to call by the chairman.
Passing of Mr. William H. Randall[edit]
On February 11, 1929, the Bahá’i Cause in America lost one of its greatest servants, Mr. William H. Randall, of Boston, Mass.
Confirmed by the Master in 1912,
Mr. Randall very soon became a national
figure in the Cause. Eloquent
as a speaker, generous in his support
of all Bahá’i activities, associated forever
with the development of Green
Acre and its gradual approach to the
status of a recognized Bahá’i center,
for many years Treasurer of Bahá’i
Temple Unity and the National Spiritual
Assembly, as well as its chairman,
Mr. Randall’s constant devotion to the
Cause, his wide vision and grasp of its
fundamentals, his dignity and charm on
all public occasions, and his generous
loyalty to his Bahá’i friends and associates
in their hour of need, leave their[Page 5]
traces indelibly on Bahá’i history in
America. Every branch of the work
received energy and direction for his
untiring service.
A Bahá’i service was held at Mt. Auburn Chapel, Cambridge, Wednesday, February 13, conducted by Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, followed by interment with reading of Bahá’i prayers at the cemetery at Medford.
On February 12, the National Assembly received this cablegram from the Guardian:—“Grief–stricken passes Harry Randall, distinguished and beloved servant of Bahá’u’lláh. Assure family, friends, fervent prayers, heartfelt condolences on behalf Holy Leaves and myself. Hold befitting memorials. (signed) SHOGHI.”
Form of Bequest to be Used by Bahá’is Desiring to Leave Money or Other Property to the American National Spiritual Assembly[edit]
I give, devise and bequest to Allen B. McDaniel, Alfred E. Lunt, Horace Holley, Carl Scheffler, Roy C. Wilhelm, May Maxwell, Louis G. Gregory, Amelia E. Collins and Nellie S. French and their successors as trustees for the benefit of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of the United States and Canada for the general uses* and purposes of said organization, the following described property (description follows here).
- or, if preferred, for, any particular
purpose, such as Bahá’i Temple, Bahá’i teaching program, Bahá’i publishing activities, Green Acre, etc. NOTE: The Will should be witnessed in due form, and the services of an attorney are advisable.
Copies of the above form of Bequest can be obtained on request from the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, P. O. Box 139, Station D, New York City.
Participating Bahá’i Communities Twenty-First Annual Convention[edit]
| Number | |||
| Of | |||
| City | Delegates | ||
| Berkeley, Calif. | 1 | ||
| Geyserville, Calif. | 1 | ||
| Glendale, Calif. | 2 | ||
| Los Angeles, Calif. | 3 | ||
| Oakland, Calif. | 2 | ||
| Pasadena, Calif. | 2 | ||
| San Francisco, Calif. | 5 | ||
| Visalia, Calif. | 1 | ||
| Montreal, Quebec | 2 | ||
| Vancouver, B. C. | 1 | ||
| Denver, Colo. | 1 | ||
| New Haven, Conn. | 1 | ||
| Washington, D. C. | 5 | ||
| St. Augustine, Fla. | 2 | ||
| Honolulu, T. H. | 1 | ||
| Chicago, Ill. | 11 | ||
| Peoria, Ill. | 1 | ||
| Urbana, Ill. | 2 | ||
| Wilmette, Ill. | 1 | ||
| Eliot, Maine | 1 | ||
| Baltimore, Md. | 1 | ||
| Boston, Mass. | 3 | ||
| Worcester, Mass. | 2 | ||
| Springfield, Mass. | 1 | ||
| Detroit, Mich. | 2 | ||
| Fruitport, Mich. | 1 | ||
| Lansing, Mich. | 1 | ||
| Muskegon, Mich. | 2 | ||
| Minneapolis, Minn. | 1 | ||
| Portsmouth, N. H. | 1 | ||
| Montclair, N. H. | 1 | ||
| Newark, N. J. | 2 | ||
| West Englewood, N. J. | 1 | ||
| Buffalo, N. Y. | 1 | ||
| Geneva, N. Y. | 1 | ||
| New York, N. Y. | 10 | ||
| Yonkers, N. Y. | 1 | ||
| Akron, Ohio | 2 | ||
| Cleveland, Ohio | 2 | ||
| Portland, Oregon | 3 | ||
| Philadelphia, Pa. | 2 | ||
| Seattle, Washington | 3 | ||
| Kenosha, Wisconsin | 2 | ||
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 2 | ||
| Racine, Wisconsin | 1 | ||
| Total | 95 |
The Growing Temple Fund[edit]
From a start made at the Convention last year the Plan of Unified Action is seemingly moving by leaps and bounds to make up the deficit in the first two years. At the present moment it is certain that over one-half of the amount needed to resume the work of building the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will be in the treasury at the time of the Convention, and it is more than likely that the entire amount will be raised so that we may certainly look forward to a resumption of activities on the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár grounds next year.
Thus far we have placed in the Building Fund a little over $67,000. This is invested in United States Certificates of Indebtedness at 4¾ per cent interest. These certificates are held in the Trustees of the National Spiritual Assembly by the safe-keeping department of the Northern Trust Co. of Chicago. The safe-keeping department of this bank is entirely separate from other departments and our funds are as secure there as is possible to make them. Should the bank (one of the oldest and most stable in Chicago) fail, these securities would in no wise be involved in the failure and would be available to the trustees just as if they were in a safe deposit vault. The bank holds them subject to the order of the trustees and will release them only when they are requested to do so by at least five of that body. The treasurer has available for such investment an additional $20,000 which will bring the Temple Fund to $87,000.
At the last meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly the members learned that a gift of $100,000 would come from two believers who had previously given a large amount to the fund.
Most of the Assemblies in the country are aroused, realizing that it is the eleventh hour and that all depends upon the next few months to carry the fund and the Plan of Unified Action through to success or to face failure and postponement. Every mail brings contributions, and in most cases the believers are doubling and trebling the amounts previously contributed. Not only are the individuals sacrificing their money, but they are talking Mashriqu’l-Adhkár so that the project which has lain neglected since 1921 is again the chief aim and purpose of the Bahá’i communities, not only in this country and Canada but in other parts of the world.
From Australia comes a regular flow of gifts for the Divine Edifice. From Persia, India, England, France, from our Assemblies in Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii and from groups and individuals everywhere come the evidences that the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh is moving the hearts to beat as one, to serve God and humanity through the erection of that heavenly ensign of the Cause. Questions are no longer being asked. Unity of purpose has come to us at last and we feel sure of success.
And the roll of those who are moving so grows steadily. Almost every mail brings not only additional gifts but new names. Old believers and new ones are working together.
Certain it is, we have turned a new
page in the Cause in this country.
Under the guidance of the Guardian’s
Plan of Bahá’i Administration the believers
are cemented together as never
before. The Spiritual Assemblies are
being supported by the believers, the
work of the Cause is being organized,
the believers themselves have realizing
the blessings of unity as never before
and the conditions that must of necessity
prevail in our midst, once the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is raised to the
sight of all, are growing in our hearts.
The spiritual Temple in the hearts of
the believers is building while they are[Page 6]
uniting to raise the edifice of brick and
stone.
The evidences of these things are many. The growing fund alone is proof. But the hundreds of letters that come in are overwhelmingly so. Confidence, hope, willingness to sacrifice is expressed in every one. Would that space allowed their publication, but the parts of some are below and will give some idea of what has happened. They are like the rest. This first one is from the South.
“Beloved friends in ’Abdu’l-Bahá: It is with the greatest joy and praise to Bahá’u’lláh that I make this small donation to the Temple. I sincerely hope and pray that the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár shall be speedily constructed and I wish I could give many times as much but I am just a poor girl working for the support of a dependent mother and a crippled blind helpless father and myself and trying to pay a mortgage off on my home, so you see it is a sacrifice for me to give even a very small amount, though it affords me a great deal of pleasure. About seven years ago I received the Bahá’i Message from Dr. and Mrs. W. B. Guy of this city. Well, what radiant joy, comfort and blessed assurance the teachings and confirmations of the Holy Spirit are to me, no mortal tongue can express and I humbly thank our Father in Heaven for his protection and loving care, and for guiding me in this most Glorious Truth.” (A check for $90 was enclosed.)
And from the West Coast:
“My dear Bahá’i brother: Enclosed please find check for $1900 which I would like very much to have placed in the Temple Fund proper. It represents the cost of my trip to Haifa, which was planned for the early spring. Feeling doubtful that it was right to spend money for that purpose when our Guardian lays such stress upon the importance of completing the Fund this year, I wrote and asked for his instructions. He knew how eagerly I was looking forward to the visit, not only for my own greatly needed spiritual refreshment, but also to see once more the Greatest Holy Leaf and the blessed family of our beloved Master, as any believer would anticipate such a privilege, and because it was time to arrange our passage, I asked if he would cable, ‘Yes,’ if we were to come despite the expense—‘No’ if we were to give it up and send that money to the Temple Fund. His answer was, ‘Reluctantly, No.’ This I think shows as clearly as anything could, how vitally important our action is in his eyes for this year. So I am happy to send the check, only hoping and praying that we in America will not fail to come up to the pledge we have set ourselves in the short time that is left to us. It will affect the future of the Cause through the whole world, I feel sure.”
The project of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár offers to us all a way to definitely become servants of humanity, our entering upon it confers upon us the chance to prove our love for mankind. What more definite thing could any one do than to help raise the ensign of the only means of salvation to a sorely harassed world. In every land the peoples are afflicted and without peace or happiness. Chaotic experiments made by dreamers or self-seeking leaders are day by day destroying what remains of the civilizations of the past, and search as you can no safety is found other than the Glorious Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
Once it is universally known all things will change and every man will seek its haven. Its universal spirit is opening the way on every hand, its principles are being uttered by men and women in every land, who have never heard its name. What a privilege then to join in the erection of the Holy Edifice of such a cause that means so much to men. A beacon tower of spiritual light that will dispel darkness in the deepest caverns of ignorance, distrust and misunderstanding. Its foundation the unity of mankind, its girders the agreement of all peoples, all faiths, all races and nations. The stones of its beautiful form, each one an expression of the love of God. Built by men and women and children from every faith and land, as a testimony of their gratitude to Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá for the greatest message ever given to the minds and hearts of men.
Committee on Plan for Unified Action,
Mr. Bourgeois Invited to Address New York Believers[edit]
The Nineteen Day Feast on February 7 was made a special Temple meeting of the New York Spiritual Assembly, to which Mr. Louis Bourgeois were invited from Chicago to speak as the architect of the Temple and exhibit lantern slides of various portions of the exquisite design. The hall at 119 West 57th Street was filled on this happy occasion. Mr. Bourgeois were preceded by Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford, who spoke on the symbolism of the religious edifices of the past. After the urgent desire of the New York Assembly to contribute most generously to the Temple Fund was expressed by Mrs. Loulie Mathews, pledges totaling $8,223 were handed in.
Study Outlines Furnish Material for Star of the West Articles[edit]
The present policy of the Star of the West adopted in accordance with the expressed wishes of Shoghi Effendi, affords a unique meeting of Bahá’i thought with progressive ideas in the modern world. Ruhi Effendi when he was in this country, anticipating the need of the Star of the West for a certain type of article consistent with its ever widening appeal, foresaw in the plan for the Modern Study Outlines an ideal means by which such subject matter might be easily acquired.
Now that many Bahá’i Communities are using the outline on Material and Divine Science in study groups and meetings it is suggested that the writing of such articles designed to carry the inspiration of our teachings to the reading world in general in a form which they can accept, and the submitting of such articles to the editors of the Star, will render a valuable service to the Cause.
Letter From Amity Committee[edit]
Dear Friends:
Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago, Montreal, Geneva, Wilmette, Urbana and Green Acre have held Amity meetings and conferences during the past year, all attended by signs of infinite power and attraction. A report of the Green Acre conference appears in the BAHÁ’I MAGAZINE of this month. A unique feature of this, as the matter was evolved without special planning, was that both the Chairmen and speakers at all the regular sessions were of the people of faith in Bahá’u’lláh.
The great aim which the friends now have in view is the erection of the Mashriqu’l Adhkár under the Plan of Unified Action evolved by the National Spiritual Assembly supported by the Annual Convention and so heartily approved by our Guardian. Some months ago the National Spiritual Assembly asked its Committees to state what each could do to serve this great end. This committee responded by selecting as one of the subjects of the Green Acre Conference, “The Temple of God; Its Light of Unity” and securing the eloquent services of Mr. Vail as speaker. Through the noble sacrifices of two friends, we have also returned to the National Treasurer the entire sum set apart for the Amity work of the year, yet with no thought of suspending the service.
It is now humbly submitted, in view of the state of the world and the powerful words and examples of ’Abdu’l-Bahá and our Guardian, that there is no halt in the brilliant activities of the past year which have covered a wide area. On the contrary, such services should be renewed and intensified. If because of the sacrifices and concentration needed for the Temple, the planning of large affairs be now deferred to wisdom, let us not forget that Amity Conferences between individuals, groups and races can at any time be inexpensively arranged in a small way in homes and other places and that wherever there is sincerity of intention our Glorious Lord bestows his guidance and approval. It is most significant that the interracial Amity work has hitherto been uniformly successful. ’Abdu’l-Bahá has indicated to us that when efforts lag the confirmations cease. Please inspire us with reports of your noble services.
The fact that outside of the immediate circle of workers in the Divine Cause, groups North and South are active in interracial work and present reports that astonish and please, is a challenge to the people of Light, who should at all times lead others in the way of humanitarian service. Unveiled are the divine ideals. Clear and luminous are the wishes of God.
Let us try increasingly to fire the hearts of the youth with the message of Bahá’u’lláh. They respond more readily to the great principles of unity and are the hope of the future. Amity work is less difficult for them.
Your committee finds itself beholden to friends everywhere for every degree of service, and especially to those centers whose activities are radiant and tireless. Truly they visualize the New Heavens and dwell upon the heights of permanency.
- Joyfully in service to the True One,
- The National Inter-racial
- Amity Committee,
- By: LOUIS G. GREGORY, Sec’y.
- Committee:
- The National Inter-racial
- Mrs. A. S. Parsons, Chairman
- Mrs. Mariam Haney
- Mrs. Louise D. Boyle
- Mrs. Pauline Hannen
- Mrs. Shelley N. Parker
- Mrs. Loulie Mathews
- Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi
- Dr. Alain L. Locke
- Louis G. Gregory
Essay by Lady Blomfield[edit]
Through the courtesy of the editor, we have received a copy of the Sufi Quarterly, published at Geneva, Switzerland, containing a most interesting article by Lady Blomfield, entitled “The Bahá’is.” In this introductory essay on the Cause, the author briefly outlines the lives and teachings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá, and concludes with reference to the appointment of the Guardian of the Cause. The issue containing Lady Blomfield’s essay is that of March, 1928, Vol. 3, No. 4.
Mr. and Mrs. Collison Visit Pacific Coast Assemblies
It has been our good fortune to have had the pleasure and privilege, during the past six months, of visiting the Pacific Coast Bahá’i assemblies, as well as some isolated believers through the south and west. We are told to associate with other Bahá’is with joy and fragrance. Certainly meeting and knowing the Bahá’is of the Coast has been a joy impossible to describe, and the fragrance of their greetings and love will long remain a cherished memory. We wish to express our deepest appreciation of the hospitality and loving courtesy with which the believers, wherever visited, received us into their midst.
Our isolated believers keenly feel their isolation. They are exceedingly appreciative of any news of the Cause and especially news of what the Bahá’is of the various assemblies are doing. The personal touch seems to be the element most lacking and the one most desired. It might be suggested that each group which makes a practice of sending out assembly news in typewritten or mimeographed form, secure a list of the isolated believers from our national secretary and send this news to such believers, wherever they may be located. We who are connected with Bahá’i groups seldom appreciate the privilege, the stimulus and joy of working and serving together. We hope that this plea for the isolated believers will find a response in the hearts of many groups.
Everywhere the building of the Temple seems uppermost in the minds of the believers. The Unified Plan is much better understood since the Convention in Chicago. It would be a great stimulus if every Bahá’i might stand for a short time on Sheridan Drive beside the Temple grounds and watch the tens of thousands of automobiles pass from every part of the continent. He would then realize what a powerful asset for teaching the Cause a completed Temple will be. This impression is still more deeply engraven on the consciousness after Mr. Bourgeois have shown some of the marvelous Temple plans with their wonderful symbolisms. One realizes then that this is a new architecture, the architecture of the New Day.
Wherever opportunity was presented the then tentative plans of the teaching committee were discussed, and everywhere assurance of real cooperation in connection with the study outline plan was secured.
It is felt by some of the believers on the Coast that the present great need in our teaching program is the training of more Bahá’is for teachers. Many Assemblies are awaiting the study outlines with a view of not only using them in developing more teachers, but also to create more interest in their assembly meetings.
Some groups are searching for a means of attracting people of diverse background to the Cause, and they realize that there must be developed within their own group the ability to meet such people on their own ground. We believe that the Bahá’i writings have within them all the required material to do this. What we need is a compilation and the correlation of the material already at hand. We must also show at the same time through recognized secular authority how modern research and thought are merely extensions and expansions of the great principles and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá.
Many of the believers who are new in the Cause feel this need very keenly and have promised their hearty support to the plans of the teaching committee. This need is being met in a most admirable way on the west coast by the Geyserville summer school. Here the Bahá’is and any others who are interested come together for two weeks or a month of systematized intensive study. The aim is not only to give the student a comprehensive view of the Cause but also as far as possible to relate the Message to the modern thought of the world. The first session of the school was held in 1927 and has already yielded gratifying results.
It is felt that if the teaching committee can secure the cooperation of all the Bahá’is both east and west as well as north and south the topic outline study plan may be a means of bringing to each assembly, in a measure at least, what the Geyserville school is bringing to its students.
Inter-Racial Amity Conference at Green Acre[edit]
Under the auspices of the Inter-Racial Amity Committee, one more expression of the Bahá’i spirit of amity has been made as evidence and pledge of the power of this Revelation to change human hearts.
The sessions held at Green Acre on August 24, 25 and 26 last, arranged by Mr. Louis Gregory, produced a remarkable degree of fusion among the member of the white and colored races present. The first session was held at the Green Acre Inn, the program, including an address of welcome by Mr. W. H. Randall, chairman of the Green Acre Committee, and an address, “The Message of the Negro Spirituals,” by Mrs. Shirley Graham McCanns of Portland, Oregon, with Jubilee Songs by Community Singers of Boston. The second session, held at Fellowship House, presented a round table discussion on the theme of “The Oneness of Humanity,” in which many participated. Chairman, Mr. Louis Gregory, The final meeting was held at the Green Acre Inn, with Mrs. May Maxwell in the chair and an address on “The Practice of the Heavenly Virtues,” by Archbishop Reginald Grant Barrow, of Brooklyn, N. Y., followed by an address on “The Temple of God; Its Light of Unity,” by Mr. Albert R. Vail.
Contents of Bahá’i Magazine[edit]
December, 1928—A Prophet Revitalizes the World, words of ’Abdu’l-Bahá; Editorial, by Stanwood Cobb; The Liberation of Elizabeth, by Florence E. Pinchon; The God That Answered by Fire, by Keith Ransom-Kehler; Disarmament of Minds, by Martha L. Root; Can Prayer Heal? By Walter B. Guy, M.D.; The Christ Spirit, by Lillian Rea; The Law of Giving, by Catherine E. Hall; The Hidden Jewels, by Loulie Mathews; The Progress of Esperanto.
January, 1929—Editorial, by Stanwood Cobb; Beside the Inland Sea, by Nowell Stevens; Finding the Worth While in Religion, by Lillian Rea; Our Part in the Cycle of Life, by Walter B. Guy, M.D.; ’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, by Dr. Zia Bagdadi; The Intellectual Shock in China, by Y. C. James Yen; Are Machines Spiritual? By Dale S. Cole; What Kind of World Is It? By Stanwood Cobb.
February, 1929—Editorial, by Stanwood Cobb; Love—A Poem, by Sophronia Aoki; Our Thought Life, by Dr. Orrol L. Harper; A Visit to Rusturn Vambery, by Martha L. Root; Tomorrow, by Dale S. Cole; The Rise of Persian Women, by Zabih Ghorban; Moving Pictures of the Future, by Shahnaz Waite; Mysticism, by Loulie Mathews; Abdu’l-Bahá in America, by Dr. Zia Bagdadi; The Broadening Social Consciousness, by Stanwood Cobb.
Mr. Louis Gregory’s Teaching Activities[edit]
Following the 1928 National Convention, Mr. Gregory spent nearly a week at Urbana, Illinois, where in addition to participating in an Amity Conference held by the local Spiritual Assembly, he delivered addresses before eighteen different groups, eleven of which were at classes in the Department of Sociology, University of Illinois. During the month of May, Mr. Gregory visited the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chicago, and passed several days in Muskegon and Fruitport, Michigan. In these cities, Mr. Gregory spoke twice in a colored Methodist Church, as well as at a public meeting arranged by the Spiritual Assembly. In the same month, he visited Lansing, where several meetings had been arranged, especially for inquirers, and later Ann Arbor. Here he met students and professors of the University of Michigan at the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. N. Fales. Nine different nationalities were represented. In Ann Arbor also, Mr. Gregory was given the pulpit of a colored Baptist Church, after which he addressed an Educational Conference. Important results were obtained by a talk at a class in the Department of Sociology, University of Michigan. In Buffalo, Mr. Gregory found many opportunities for Bahá’i service; an address at a colored Congregational Church, at the Youth Meeting of Michigan Avenue Baptist Church, at the Psychology Club, Central Y.M.C.A., Cosmopolitan Club, and Michigan Avenue Branch Y.M.C.A. Later, addresses were made at a Congregational Sunday School and again at Michigan Avenue Baptist Church. A special meeting of young people at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Tolbert, a colored believer, responded warmly to the Teachings.
Proceeding to Green Acre, Mr. Gregory spent the summer delivering addresses and holding classes both at Green Acre and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Among Mr. Gregory’s talks in Portsmouth were those at the colored Baptist Church, Kiwanis Club, and the newly established Bahá’i Assembly in Portsmouth, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Pike.
During September, Mr. Gregory traveled southward, stopping to lecture for the New York Assembly, Civic Club, Riverton, N. J., Philadelphia Assembly, Minor Normal School, Washington, D. C., Washington Assembly, and thence to Durham, N. C., where 540 High School students heard an address on “The Meaning of Bahá’i (Light)”. Other groups addressed by Mr. Gregory at Durham were Forum of North Carolina, Mutual Life Insurance Company, White Rock Baptist Church and Inter-Denominational Ministers’ Alliance. This latter address received powerful endorsement by two ministers already attracted. The faculty and students of North Carolina College for Negroes, an institution visited by Mr. Gregory on his first teaching journey to the South eighteen years ago, heard the Message on October 8.
Lack of space prevents more than a brief summary of the further services rendered during recent months by this devoted servant of Bahá’u’lláh. The following groups were visited during October, November and December, 1928; Christian College, Franklynton, N. C., New Hope Baptist Association, The Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., Shaw University, Inter-Denominational Ministers’ Union, Public School, St. Augustine College, Oberlin Public School, and Washington High School, Raleigh, N. C. Mr. Gregory had the pleasure of meeting several people who recalled the Bahá’i address delivered by Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler at the State Colored Teachers’ Association two years ago.
Returning to New York City for the meeting of the National Assembly, Mr. Gregory during October spoke before many groups in New York and Brooklyn, including Christ Church Cathedral, at the invitation of Archbishop Reginald Grant Barrow, and the Community Church of Rev. H. H. Proctor. During November and December, Mr. Gregory expounded the Bahá’i Teachings to these important institutions: Cheyney Institute, Cheyney, Pa.; State Manual Training School, Bordentown, N. J.; Morgan College, Baltimore; Unity Center, Business High School and two classes in Howard University, Washington, D. C., a new study class at Norfolk, Va.; Second Baptist Church Sunday School, Bethel A. M. E. Zion Church, Independent Order of St. Luke, Colored High School, Welfare Workers, Baptist Ministers’ Union, in Richmond, Va., Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute, and several interested groups in Baltimore.
