National Teaching Committee Bulletins/1920/October 15/Text

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National Teaching Committee Bulletins October 15, 1920

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Copy of a letter from ir. Chas. Lason Remey dated October 15, 1920, giving a report of service in the Netherlands.

My dear Sister: In the numbers of the Bulletin of Teaching, which have reached me -- in addition to the news from the assemblies in America -- I find several notes of interest, and information good to know, of the Bahá’í work being done in various other countries of the occident; therefore it occurs to me to write this letter telling you something of the beginning of Bahá’í activities in the Netherlands.

You will recall the name of Daniel Jenkyn, of St. Ives, England, who departed this life almost six years ago. It was he who first took the Bahá’í Message to the Netherlands. Having a few days of annual vacation, during which he wished to devote himself to the service of the Cause, r. Jenkyn took passage for the low countries. His first stop was in Rotterdam, where he met several people with whom he was able to speak of the Bahá’í Revelation. Then he proceeded on to The Sague, and Amsterdam in Holland. I do not know That connections he made at The Hague, but in Amsterdam he made the acquaintence of some Theosophists, who were attracted to the Cause, His principle work though, seems to have been done in the little town of Blaricum, in North Holland, where he made the acquaintence of an Esperantist, Mr. N. George Enzlin, ho, with his wife, embraced the Cause and spoke of the Revelation with a number of others.

Prior to going to Holland, with George Latimer, in the summer of 1914, through Daniel Jenkyn, I received the names and addresses, of some Dutch people, attracted to the Cause, and with several of these I was in correspondence. One gentleman in particular, r. J. H. van Ginkel, as interested to the point of ishing to serve in some way; and at his kind invitation George Latimer and I spent a week end at his summer home near Blaricum, in North Holland. Through his efforts we met several people with whom he had already spoken of the Bahá’í movement,

During these st six years I have kept in touch with Mr. van Ginkel, and on landing in Rotterdam early in July, on my way here, I went to Amsterdam, where he was then living, in order to continue our association. .r. van Ginkel is a well known Theosophist, his home in Amsterdam being a Theosophical Center where he has an office and rooms for the sale of books. Associated with him in this work is Miss B. Kordijk, hom to also had the plonsure of meeting in Blaricum in 1914. I was glad to find on their sales shelves several pieces of Bahá’í literature, one of which was a history of our Cause, and an outline of its principles -- "The Bahá’í Movement" -- which Miss Kordijk had translated, from English into Dutch, and which Mr. von Cinkel published. I found this lady much attracted, and to had sovorel very spiritul conversations regarding the Station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and His mission as the Control Point of spiritual force and power in the present day and age. [Page 2] Through the kindness of miss kerdijk it was arranged for me to go to Apeldoorn, in the Eastern part of Holland, to see her brother, who, through her, had become attracted to, and wished to know more about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I spent a week end in the home of ir. Kerdijk, both he and his wife making my stay pleasant in every way. He is an architect, and was much interested in the Mashrekol-Azkar, as well as deeply attracted to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, In fact to him the Center of the Covenant was The Cause; so I have great hopes of this spiritual visit, for rarely do I meet such an one, as he, who goes so straight to the central point of the Revelation.

Through Mr. Van Ginkel I heard that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had sent two Persian Bahá’ís on a mission to the Hague, so on leaving Apeldoorn I went to the Hague to seek these two friends from the Orient. They proved to be Jenab Ebn Astague, one of the old and well known Bahá’ís of Persia, in whose home, in Teheran, I had visited twelve years ago, and Mirza Yazdani, a younger Bahá’í, also from Teheran. The two servants of the Cause had been sent to the Hague on a special mission by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as porters of a tablet, containing The Message of Bahá’u’lláh, to the members of the Hague Peace conference. You probably have this tablet, in English, now in America.

I passed a very spiritual day with these friends. They were very busy meeting and talking with people, and had succeeded in attracting a number of souls in addition to presenting their written Tablet. Mirza Yazdani spoke French and Esperanto, and his knowledge of the latter language gave him entré into various Esperanto societies where he was able to give The Message. When I saw him, he had just returned from addressing a large gathering in Haarlem, where he had an enthusiastic welcome.

As I was leaving Amsterdam for Germany the following morning, my stay with the Fersian friends at the Hague was a short one, but sufficiently long to form an idea of the importance of holding a Bahá’í center there. The people in the various cities in the Netherlands seem to be ready for the message. r. Van Ginkel urges that Bahá’í teachers come to Holland. He says that in Amsterdam, in the winter season, when the people come into town from the country, meetings can be arranged and large audiences assembled. Theosophy has paved the way for the Bahá’í Cause in many parts of the world, and I have no doubt, that the Theosophists in other Dutch cities will welcome the Cause as cordially as have r. Van Ginkel and Miss Kerdijk in Amsterdam.

Mr. Van Ginkel also suggested the Hague as a Center ready for our activities. Amsterdam and Rotterdam are commercial centers, while the Hague is the seat of Government, and the residential city, where people have time for, and inclination towards, matters of world interest. The winter season would also be the time to teach at the Hague. While it would be most desirable for a Bahá’í, working in the Netherlands, to speak the Dutch language, this does not seem to be an absolute requirement, for there the people of culture speak English or French. I give you all the information which I have in the hope that it will be of service when some Bahá’í may write to the Teaching Committee to ascertain the prospects for work and service in the Netherlands.

P.S. Always yours in El Abha (Signed) MASON Miss Kerdijks' address is: 19 Leidsche Gracht, Amsterdam, Holland.