Tending the Garden/St. lambert-1930's 1940's 1950's

[Page 69]

ST. LAMBERT—1930'S, 1940'S & 1950'S

FOLLOWING their marriage, the Salas moved to St. Lambert where a few Baha'is already lived. I have only a few childhood memories of the cozy house on Riverside Drive. Across the road was the St. Lawrence River, the city and Mount Royal in the distance. | remember a special spot near the kitchen which Rosemary called the “sunroom’, filled with plants, where breakfast was served. A side door led to a large garden surrounded by trees.

By 1937, St. Lambert had nine adult believers, the exact number needed to form a Local Spiritual Assembly. However, there were growing pains. The friends were reluctant to loosen their warm ties with the Montreal community. Former St. Lambert Bahd’is, the Lanning sisters, recalled a letter sent by the Montreal Assembly, suggesting that St. Lambert hold a Feast in their community “rather than always going in to Montreal”.’ Meanwhile, Rowland Estall, in Vancouver at this time, remembered a “tearful letter” from someone, perhaps Rosemary, lamenting that “we are separated from Montreal.””

May Maxwell was concerned about those growing pains and raised the issue in a letter to the Guardian. When she learned that Emeric would be traveling to Europe on business, she urged him to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to visit the shrines, and meet Shoghi Effendi. This he agreed to. In her letter to the Guardian May wrote:

14, December, 1937

... Not one of the Baha’is living in St. Lambert wishes to form an Assembly, for obvious reasons; they love the Montreal Community where they are all active workers; the Montreal Community has an outstanding prestige and is the Mother Group of Canada and they dread to disassociate themselves from the communal life and activities of Montreal. Some of the St. Lambert members frankly admit this, others make various excuses. ... May I beg you to discuss this matter with Emeric Sala when he isin your presence in Haifa, that is if it is in accordance with your wisdom. [Page 70]70 St. LAMBERT — 1930’s, 1940's, & 1950's

I have found no mention of this issue in Emeric’s notes made during his pilgrimage. By \e&

Emeric’s Pilgrimage and a Question

Before Emeric set out on his voyage to Europe and Palestine, this letter arrived from Mary Maxwell, now married to Shoghi Effendi, and known as Ruhiyyih Khanum. She wrote:

Haifa, 22/11/37

Dear Emeric & Rosemary,

Thank you for the program of the meetings and the snaps of the youth group. I love to hear news of Montreal, as you can well imagine! Now that Mother and Dad are home I am sure it is a perpetual feast of love and discussion of the Cause!

It will be lovely to have Emeric here and he will take back, Iam sure, arich harvest for you both.

I know how active you both are and am always eager for news of Canada’s progress — there are so few there to do the work compared to America!

My love to all the friends and a great deal to you both,

Lovingly,

Ruhiyyih*

The following descriptions of Emeric’s journey and pilgrimage are based partly on reports and the autobiography, but mainly from a talk that he gave at a special conference on the subject of the Guardian.

The Maxwells’ and the Schopflochers’ were the only [Canadian Baha'is] who knew Shoghi Effendi up to that time. There were not many in the USA either. Not only because of the cost and time (there were no planes then), but we just did not think or dream of the possibility of a pilgrimage.

In December 1937 | had to cross a rough Atlantic on a business trip to Europe. Mrs. Maxwell suggested since | will be visiting my parents in Romania, why [Page 71]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 71

not continue to Haifa and see Shoghi Effendi, which | did.®

While en route to Haifa, Emeric had the opportunity to visit Marion Jack, the Canadian pioneer who lived in Sophia, Bulgaria. On December 25 and 26, 1937, Emeric spoke at two meetings in Sofia; one of which was attended by over fifty people. In his biography of Marion Jack, Jan Jasion records this letter from her to Shoghi Effendi.

Everyone was most pleased with dear Mr. Sala, he gave a remarkably fine talk on Justice which I hope he will some day write up ... the talk was forceful and big & fine ... It was quite satisfactory that we had over fifty in this busy season with very few invitations ... It was a real treat to have a visit from such an earnest & enthusiastic believer.’

Emeric continued on to the Holy Land:

| travelled on the Orient-Express to Istanbul, and from there by train through dozens of tunnels to Tripoli in Syria, and from there by bus over a tortuous coastal road with a reckless Arab driver, to Haifa. In Beirut | bought a dozen oranges for one piaster. When we came to the border of Palestine a British customs official took my oranges and threw them into the Mediterranean Sea. No citrus fruit could enter this British Protectorate.®

Nearly 50 years later, at an Association for Bahai Studies conference in Ottawa, in 1984, Emeric gave a talk entitled “Shoghi Effendi’s Question’. Here are excerpts:

The Guardian told me that the main purpose of my pilgrimage was to visit and pray at the Shrines and Holy Places. In my own mind my main purpose was to visit Shoghi Effendi. Actually | never met Shoghi Effendi. However, having been the only Western pilgrim, | had the undivided attention of the Guardian for about three hours of each of the five nights. [Pilgrims from the west and east would meet with the Guardian at separate times, probably because of language differences.] Gradually | gained the feeling [Page 72]72 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

that Shoghi Effendi, the man, had sacrificed himself long ago for the Faith and the Guardianship. | have never before or since met a human being who had given so much of himself for the Faith, obliterating all personal desires or aspirations. ...

| asked the Guardian many questions, most of them prompted by my immaturity, having been a Baha’i only ten years. One night, Shoghi Effendi asked me a question, which | could not answer, nor did | understand its significance at that time. Shoghi Effendi asked me: “Since after the martyrdom of the Bab the authority of the Faith was passed on to Baha'u'llah, and after His passing to ‘Abdu’l-Baha, to whom was it transferred after the ascension of ‘Abdu'l-Baha?” | answered, of course, Shoghi Effendi. He said no. | then said, the Guardian. He again shook his head. | then ventured the Universal House of Justice. He again said no, and | could see from his expression that he was disappointed with my inability to answer his question. Then he asked, are the friends not reading my letters? The answer he said, is clearly stated in The Dispensation of Bahd’u'lldh. It is divided into four parts: Baha'u'llah, the Bab, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the fourth part is entitled 'The World Order of Baha'u'llah’, which is the answer to his question.

The Guardian spoke a beautiful Oxford English. | spoke English with a terrible Hungarian-Canadian accent, which the Guardian found difficult to follow. Ruhiyyih Khanum, who had known me for nine years, had to interpret on several occasions.

After returning to Montreal, | wrote seven pages of the usual pilgrim’s notes, but | did not mention the above question as | did not see any importance in it. As time passed, | could not forget his question, nor the sad expression on his face for my inability to answer. | was also puzzled as to why he had asked me that question.

As the years advanced, especially after his passing in 1957, | realized increasingly that the greatest lesson | learned was not during the many hours of exclusive conversations, most of which were based on my questions, but it was the question the Guardian asked me and which | could not answer. For the last forty years or so, | have asked the friends the same question on four continents, at untold firesides, summer and winter schools, and | received, with one single exception, the same wrong answers that | gave the Guardian as far back as January, 1938. [Page 73]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 73

It is obvious that ‘Abdu’'l-Baha in His Will and Testament stated very clearly that all Baha'is should turn to Shoghi Effendi, that “whoso obeyeth him not ... hath not obeyed God” and again, “He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One.” It is also indisputable that Shoghi Effendi was the head of the Faith during his ministry of thirty-five years. Yet, he wanted to impress upon me at that time, that the authority of the Faith did not rest upon him but on the World Order of Baha'u'llah, which was based on two pillars: the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. His vision of the future went far beyond the Guardianship, and our failure in all these years to visualize the significance of his question should indeed make him feel sad.

Our Faith was centered in the Guardian as a father figure, oblivious of the other pillar and its implications, which was a distortion if not a mutilation of our vision of the World Order of Baha'u'llah. Shoghi Effendi described this condition as follows:

To dissociate the administrative principles of the Cause from the purely spiritual and humanitarian teachings would be tantamount to a mutilation of the body of the Cause, a separation that can only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith itself.°

These are strong words. ...

‘Abdu’l-Baha, who was also called the Mystery of God, was, as | understand it, the last father-figure in the Adamic cycle, which carried humanity through its stage of immaturity. In all dispensations for thousands of years, religious communities centered around a pope, a caliph, an archbishop, a rabbi, a priest or a minister. In many congregations even today the leader is not only looked upon as wiser and more learned than anyone else but is also called “the Father’, whose authority is unquestionably followed.

Shoghi Effendi wanted neither to be treated nor followed as a father figure. He signed many thousand letters as “your true brother Shoghi”. ... One possible reason for his refusing to meet Baha’i communities on any of his journeys, was probably to deemphasize the importance of his personality in relation to the World Order of Baha'u'llah. He told us on various occasions that the main difference between the papacy and the [Page 74]74 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

Guardianship is that the Pope has exclusive authority to legislate and to interpret, while the Guardian's authority is limited to the interpretation of the sacred writings only,

Guided by the vision of Shoghi Effendi and the events of history, the Baha’ world community, having been personality-centered, the characteristic of an immature society, has become assembly-centered, which is a precondition for entering the age of maturity."

After his return home, Emeric received the following letter written on behalf of the Guardian:

March 17th, 1938

Dear Mr. Sala,

The Guardian was indeed pleased to receive your letter of the 25th February, and to know of your safe return to Montreal, and to realize that the impressions you had carried back from your visit to the Holy Land are still very vivid in your mind. He hopes as years go by your realization of the great privilege you have had of visiting these Holy Spots will deepen, and that you will be increasingly stimulated as a result to work with added devotion and with a clear vision of the task that lies ahead of you.

It is now that you are back home that you can look at your visit in its true perspective, and appreciate its full significances. Gradually you will also be able to find the answer to certain questions which may still puzzle you. These inner struggles of the soul are indeed a necessary part of the spiritual development of a believer, and if faced and overcome with resolute will and deep faith they can be of an immense asset to his growth in the Cause.”

‘This section on Emeric’s pilgrimage began with a segment of May Maxwell’s letter to the Guardian regarding the formation of the St. Lambert Assembly. When Shoghi Effendi asked Emeric the question he could not answer, what seeds were planted in Emeric’s mind? It should be noted that the Local Spiritual Assembly of St. Lambert was formed in 1938, a few months after his return from pilgrimage.

And, finally, being curious, I once asked Emeric who that single in[Page 75]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 75

dividual had been, who had given the correct answer to the question Shoghi Effendi had asked. Emeric replied, Douglas Martin. Mr. Martin would go on to serve the Cause in innumerable ways, including being for many years a member of the Universal House of Justice.

By \&

A National Convention in 1938

Just as a Local Spiritual Assembly administers the affairs of the local Bahai community, so too, a National Spiritual Assembly governs at a national level. Every year, delegates attend a National Convention to elect the nine members of a new National Spiritual Assembly and to consult on the affairs of the Faith in the whole country. Rosemary and Emeric attended an historic National Convention in the spring of 1938. At that time Canada and the United States were still under one body — the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada. Here is Rosemary’s account:

Emeric and | were attending the National Convention in Chicago in 1938. We were invited by a group of very devoted and loving Baha’i teachers to attend a special meeting, not open to all the friends, to take action on a very important issue to present at the Convention. As we loved the friends who invited us, older, well-known teachers in the Faith, we agreed to join them. When we arrived, | went about kissing and being embraced by these precious Baha'i teachers. After a few minutes, Emeric came to me, took my arm and said, in most decided tones, ‘Come, we are leaving!’ Bewildered | went. Then outside the room | asked what had happened to upset him. He told me that those dear Baha'is were planning an open attack on Horace Holley for his pre-occupation with administrative functions instead of the teaching work.

This was one of those early stormy conventions. After the formal opening, and the agenda voted upon, one of those dear souls stood up and very emotionally chided—attacked—the secretary (Horace Holley) for not emphasizing or concentrating on teaching methods in the agenda. The majority of the delegates and visitors were horrified, while Horace stood there motionless.

Then came a cable announcing the death of Munirih Khanum, the wife of ‘Abdu’l[Page 76]76 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950’s

Baha. This message brought sanity into the Convention as all were united in their sadness at the physical loss of this tie to the days of the Master.

One more dramatic event added the final uniting force: Grace Robarts Ober, who had just returned from an extensive teaching tour, was called to the platform. She stood before the assembled delegates and friends, sweeping all up with her into the wonder of the Cause of God and the bounty of being one of His vessels. She lifted up her arm (in a characteristic gesture) crying out: Ya Baha’u'l Abha! Then collapsed into her husband’s arm as he was sitting on the platform. While the assemblage, deeply moved, repeated the Healing Prayer, she rode out of this world on the waves of those holy words to the Abha Kingdom. Stirred to their depths, cleansed, purified, the friends arose as the Prayer for the Departed was recited. There was never any more openly expressed feeling against Horace Holley.

The Guardian valued Horace’s services and would have liked to have him in Haifa to assist but realized the tremendous value of his services in America and Canada. Shoghi Effendi addressed him “My most precious brother” and mentioned his and his wife’s services as being “heroic”. [Some years before] in 1925, Horace became a paid full-time secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly at a time when its members and fellow believers could feel free to and did criticize! Shoghi Effendi was fully aware of this and paid tribute to the work he did in assisting to build up the Administration to fulfill its sacred function in the establishment of the world order of Baha'u'llah!”

Bye

Year in Venezuela

Emeric’s parents arrived in May of 1939 to settle in Canada on the farm. World War II was looming. A few months later, as they drove back to Montreal from Green Acre, Rosemary and Emeric made a decision that would align their lives more closely to a new Plan of the Guardian’s. Emeric writes:

While driving home, we heard on the car radio Chamberlain declaring war on Germany. ... War, hatred, killing, destruction were the antithesis of what we were trying to do. It made us so despondent that | suggested to Rosemary, let us go pioneering in Latin America, as far away as possible from all this madness. Rosemary agreed with enthusiasm, though with some trepidation, leaving behind a jewel house, a hundred and [Page 77]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 77

fifty year old French Canadian cottage which Mr. Maxwell had renovated for us.”

Emeric mentioned “pioneering”, a word we will come across often in this book. Pioneers are adventurous souls who arise and move to new locations, whether in nearby communities or across the world. They set up a home, find employment and integrate into their new surroundings. They meet new people and make new friends some of whom may be attracted to the Faith. Thus gradually, new Baha'i communities come into being. Marion Jack, the pioneer whom Emeric had visited at Christmastime in Bulgaria, was upheld by Shoghi Effendi as a “shining example to present and future generations.”

Shoghi Effendi, in 1937, launched a teaching campaign for the Baha’is of North America, entitled the Seven Year Plan. Bahd’is were asked to share the teachings of the Faith, at a time when most people had no idea of its existence. In this Plan, the Guardian called for one Local Spiritual Assembly to be created in each province in Canada, in each state in the United States, as well as in every Latin American country and in the Caribbean, by the end of the Plan in 1944. Rosemary reflects on the Guardian’s Seven Year Plan, which motivated many Bahd’is to pioneer across the Americas:

It was the first Seven Year Plan which woke up the Baha'is of North America from the rather parochial vision of the Cause only being confined to America. Now the pioneers were asked to go to (Latin) America, to establish a centre in every country ... and we were part of that. ... It was a very exciting and thrilling motion, because for the first time the American and Canadian Baha'is were brought out of their own little world ... So many Baha'is went out, mostly women, which was amazing. Women, not young, ... not speaking the language, who had the daring to go out in a continent that was consumed by machismo, for the men ruled; and yet, they conquered the continent. Many men went out too, of course.’

Rosemary and Emeric gradually reoriented their lives in service to this Seven Year Plan, and from here on, to other future Plans. Rihiyyih Khanum wrote to Rosemary and Emeric when she heard that they were planning to pioneer to South America. [Page 78]78 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

10/11/39

Since returning home I have been longing to write ... and tell you how thrilled Iam at the news of your intended flight to the South!

You don’t know how I love and admire you both for your wonderful courage and devotion. I know it involves sacrifice, that is what makes it so precious! So many of us suffer an arrested development - some never get beyond just becoming Baha’is, others do some one service and rest on their oars - others reach a high level and bask in their glory! But how many of us go on and up till the last day of our lives like Martha Root?

...We have demonstrated, so far, to the Guardian that we not only do what he tells us but even more! And I assure you that has rejoiced his heart and greatly encouraged him. I am so happy over this. How wonderful if he could come to feel he could rely on us. That implies a great deal. There is a big difference between relying on someone to do something and being sure whatever you ask them they will do without fail!”

After months of preparation, Rosemary and Emeric left Canada for Caracas, Venezuela. Montreal Baha’i Elizabeth Cowles wrote them a letter of farewell. It was a poignant time, as word had come of the death just days before of May Maxwell in Argentina:

March 3, 194.0

Emeric dear,

You must not go away without one more little word of au revoir from me.

...Some day you will go to Buenos Aires and visit the tomb of our beloved May. Sutherland has just told me that she is to be buried there and he will design the monument. How lovely and wonderful!

Much as we shall miss her we can but rejoice that she has entered a new and much fuller life in the ‘Kingdom of lights’.

We must all be more vigilant, more devoted to the great Cause of Baha’u’llah. We shall think of you and pray for you very often in your new field of work as I am sure your thoughts and prayers will often turn to the friends in Montreal, St. Lambert and all of Canada and elsewhere.

With fond love and every good wish to you and Rosemary [Page 79]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 79

Your true sister Elizabeth Cowles”

‘They also received this note from Anne Savage, written shortly after the passing of May Maxwell:

March, 1940

My darling Rosemary and my beloved Emeric,

You are really going this evening! You understood Rosemary dear, I know, on Saturday, just why I felt I could not go with you. I just could not (illegible) any more!

On reading over letters from May I have come across some very beautiful things and I think I shall ask the friends if they would not like to come together & hear them. Possibly I can send them to you by mail. There was such a very close bond between us that I feel as if part of myself has gone with her!

This is just to tell you that we shall pray for you as I know you will pray for us & may Baha’u’llah abundantly bless you dears.

Yours always, Anne”

Emeric wrote from their new home in Caracas, Venezuela.

25th of March, 1940

What | like best in this country are the people. They are wretchedly poor, but kind, their voices melodious and pleasing, their movements graceful and their eyes gentle... Once | asked a poor candy vendor — an aged man with white hair — [for directions] and he in the most courteous Spanish, with an exquisite bow and the gestures of a nobleman of the 16th century, showed us the way...’8

April 27th, 1940

Dear Friends :

You did not receive my letter No 2. It described our visit on Easter Sunday to the Anglican Church of Caracas. My description of our reception, as strangers, which reminded me of many things but the Spirit of Christianity, was according to the mature judgement of my beloved wife not for Canadian consumption. |, therefore, destroyed Let[Page 80]80 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

ter No. 2, and posterity will never know its contents. ...

For the last four Fridays, we have been going to the meetings of the Theosophical Society. It consists of three young Venezuelans. One of them does most of the talking, teaching us the workings of the divine law. They are broad-minded and tolerant. Therefore they listen to us. My Spanish is still very poor, but sufficient to convey to them some of the Baha’i principles, and thus, although they don’t know it, we are constituting the first Baha'i Study Class on Venezuelan soil.””

June 29th, 1940

News from Venezuela will appear uninteresting in contrast with events which are taking place in Europe. Rosemary describes our maid, Antonia, who does not know what “Hitler” means. She never heard that name. And there are many like her in this blessed country. And yet we call them backward, uncivilized. For after all Hitler is a product of our glorious civilization. We made him great. He represents the forces we generated. Kill him and the evil remains. ...This is [why we are] “shortsighted”. And this is why disillusionment will spread.”°

Rosemary writes to her family:

May 27, 1940

What wealth - to receive two letters from home in four days. Mail was held up of course on account of the war. ... We are busily keeping up with European events. Emeric’s room, one wall at least, is lined with maps and he moves pins about. The papers here print dispatches from Germany, England and France and we try to pick up the truth from all sorts of conflicting statements. | do not think | could bear to think about it, if | was not trying to live in Baha’u’llah’s concept of a New World Order and which has been the eternal plan for mankind. ... | do not like to think of Charlie [her sister Margaret's husband] going off to the battlefield. Let me know the news.”

During their eleven months in Venezuela, Rosemary and Emeric [Page 81]St. LAMBERT —— 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 81

made many contacts. They compiled a list with the names and backgrounds. Here are a few:

A former lawyer from Barcelona, Spain; an author-professor of Philosophy at the University, also from Spain; the economic advisor to the Minister of Finance and professor at the university; a teacher poet; a Venezuelan physician; a post office employee; a professor and cancer specialist; a tailor; a chiropractor; a Venezuelan owner of mines; the director of the National Library; businessmen; secretary of the Theosophist Society. Several were from Spain, others were refugees from Nazi Germany, some from Austria, some were Venezuelan-born.”

Emeric tells of crossing the Andes to visit a Bahai pioneer in Colom bia:

... traveling from Caracas to Bogota in Colombia ... eight days by car on a gravel road—one-track; we traveled from sunrise to sunset. People told us we would be killed by banditos, as there was no police protection. It was a mountain road, very steep, with precipices to the right; a car, human bodies, possessions could easily disappear. They told us if we decided to go, we should take weapons with us, at least a machete. But all we had were prayers. Rosemary said everywhere the Greatest Name [see Glossary]. We were the first Baha'is traveling in that part of the Andes. Martha Root had gone further down, in Chile.”

Rosemary takes up the story:

| remember on one mountain top | said the Greatest Name nine times... with all my heart. Suddenly, sucha silence came. The birds seemed to stop singing, and the leaves stopped rustling. The silence was like a tremendous void. Then everything began again. You felt yourself there in a tremendous moment of destiny, to hear this Word go shouting out over the mountains.”

Emeric’s vision was far-reaching. Here he reflects on the year in Venezuela and on into the future: [Page 82]82 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

Most of us limit ourselves to the short-range view which is necessary for everyday life; we think also in terms of a week, a month, or a year. But the long-range view, if we perceive it, visualize it, includes our whole life cycle, and goes beyond it. Reading the Baha'i Writings, seeing and following the vision of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the prophecies of Baha'u'llah, we can correlate world events with the teachings. This extends, lifts our vision to a greater distance and when crises or calamities face us, individually or collectively, they can be faced so much more easily. Because you see all these troubles as part of life, as necessary for our own and for the development of the human race. It also helps us not to fear. With faith, and belief in God, and His Plan, and His Prophet's vision, fear is no longer needed, is no longer necessary. ...

We went to Venezuela ... an unknown country, tropical, malaria-infested, great poverty. We... had to learn a new language, adjust to the climate, culture, conditions. It looked foolish, ridiculous, no one else would do it, normally. And yet, that one year was one of the highlights of our lives. We look back to it with ... joy. It was a great adventure, we took great risks. We could have been afraid and worried but we were not. We had confidence; we felt we did something from the point of the long-range view for future

generations.” By \&

First Summer School in Canada

After a year, Rosemary and Emeric returned to Montreal and Rosemary expressed her feelings:

When we returned from Venezuela, | was heartbroken, and | thought, surely we'd return again. When | heard Spanish on the radio, | used to weep, tears would stream down my cheeks. Of course we made two or three trips, one trip all around South America, visiting each country, and we could speak Spanish at the time; so we were in touch.”

‘Their friend Rowland Estall wrote to them, referring to another element in Shoghi Effendi’s Seven Year Plan—the settlement of Baha’is in each province of Canada: [Page 83]St. LAMBERT —— 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 83

February 26, 1941

Now what are you and Rosemary going to do when you get back to Canada? That's the question! Well, first of all perhaps you’d like to have the enclosed reports of my recent travels and begin to get a new perspective of the tremendous tasks waiting .... in this country of promise. I've taken the liberty of suggesting to both Regional Secretaries in the Eastern and Western Regions that they should at once consult you regarding the prospects of your both making a coast-to-coast tour of the country. .... Then there is the prospect of Summer Schools, only in the idea stage as yet, for Canada. | feel very strongly that we should begin to draw much closer together throughout Canada as a possible prerequisite to an N.S.A. at the end of the Seven-Year Plan period, provided our objectives of an Assembly in every Province have been reached. ...

I'm sure | don’t see clearly these personal futures of ours though in the Faith | know our bonds are eternal ones. For the rest, | think we cannot see or plan too far ahead in these changing times. ...

Be sure of this! Nothing you have both done, or tried to do is lost to the Faith. And for yourselves, you must know and feel the rewards of your own historic sacrifice. We shall feel it here when you return. So Welcome home!?”

Rowland in later years, recalled this period. He told how during the War the Canadian government had restricted foreign exchange, and thus travel to the United States. One could only take $25 across the border, and thus it was nearly impossible for Canadian Baha'is to attend the well-developed American summer schools at Green Acre, Louhelen and Geyserville, as had been the pattern. An east-west movement was beginning for Canadian Bah@’is, rather than north-south.’%

Emeric reflects on Rowland’s suggestions:

When we returned after our year’s stay in Venezuela, in the spring of 1941, we found conditions of the Faith in our mother community in the doldrums. Montreal could not recover, not only from the loss of Mrs. Maxwell, but the whole Maxwell family. For Mr. Maxwell was living also in Haifa.

Rowland Estall had also just arrived from Winnipeg, for a longer visit. We were [Page 84]84 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

both very concerned about the state of affairs, and together with the Regional Teaching Committee, of which | remember only Amine DeMille of Rouyn, Quebec as a member, we organized the first Canadian Baha’i Summer Conference which was held over a weekend ... We had a very encouraging response. About three friends came from Moncton [New Brunswick] about six from Ontario, including a new believer, John Robarts, Rowland representing the West, and the rest from Quebec, making a total of close to thirty. ...

This conference not only gave us all a new lease on life, but next summer we arranged a successful week-long conference at Paul Sala’s farm in Riviére Beaudette, Quebec, with Dr. Glen Shook as guest speaker. ... Ontario, not to be left out, started their

yearly summer sessions at Rice Lake.” Be

World War II — Impact on Family

In one of my earliest memories, I am seated across from my grandmother Charlotte. In her hands she holds a thin blue airmail letter. Tears are rolling down her cheeks. In those days after the War, news of what had happened to family members must have come gradually. Emeric describes that time:

Eugene Umstadter arrived just before the outbreak of the Second World War ... His wife Lily, [Emeric’s cousin] the only survivor of her family, arrived after the war. ...

Ernest and Lillian visited Budapest in 1946 and they brought out Yvonne Solt, a seventeen-year-old cousin, who was again the only survivor of her family. Later Ernest was instrumental to bring Mike Klein to the U.S.A. ... Mike, his sister Babi and another two cousins in Budapest [and their mother] were the only survivors left from my father’s family.°

In later years, visits were made to surviving family members in Europe, stories accumulated and Emeric gathered them.

In the Astoria in Budapest | met Erzsi [a cousin] first, who told me that her mother, Mariska neni, died a week before my letter arrived. Erzsi and her younger sister [Page 85]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 85

Sari escaped while on a march to an extermination camp, returned to Budapest and were hidden by Gyula Varkonyi, a Hungarian communist, who later married Erzsi. For three months they were hiding in a cellar living on raw potatoes. Sari has never fully recovered and is still sickly. Their mother Mariska was also arrested and held for deportation. Gyula Varkonyi saved her life also. ...

We had lunch with Judith Huba, ... formerly a nun. She now works as an English [translator]. Evenings and weekends she keeps her devotions as a nun just as though she was ina convent. There is not a bitter strain in her. She is positive, cheerful, practical and a person of faith. We both liked her very much.»

In 1963 | saw Natalie in Budapest for the last time. Her son and husband were dead. They were picked up during the War and disappeared without a trace. Natalie suffered now from diabetes and angina, but her soul was as radiant as ever. She met Rosemary for the first time. They could not communicate by tongue, but they took to each other like fish to water.

My mother had four sisters and three brothers. Between them they had twentyfive children. Every one of these families was totally or partially exterminated in the Holocaust except my mother’s. My father had three brothers and three sisters, who had among them sixteen children. Every one of these families was totally or partially exterminated except my father’s. None of these families lived in the same city, but they were clustered together close to their roots. The world is now not unlike it was then. The lesson that the new generation can learn now is not to cluster, but to disperse, the farther the better.

Among the Baha'is | met in Budapest there was a woman whose infant child was thrown into the Danube [during the war]. Sometime later, the Hungarian Gestapo visited her, and when they saw some Baha'i books they asked her what are these, she answered: “These books teach me that you are my brothers.” The police then left.

I do not recall Emeric talking about the War or about the Holocaust. He was not one to show emotion. Many years after, in one of our last visits before he died, Emeric and I sat together at the dining table while he talked about his father Adolf, his difficult life, his fierce temper.

In Emeric’s voice there was only compassion as he now talked about [Page 86]86 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

his father, (my grandfather) Adolf. How during the depression he could not adequately support his family. Then, before World War II, he had to leave his six brothers and sisters and their families behind to join his children in Canada. After the war came news of the loss of most of his loved ones. Today, we are aware of the psychological trauma that comes with times of crisis and tragedy. My grandfather could well have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. But such conditions were unknown then, so he was characterized as bad-tempered. He eventually moved to a small apartment in Montreal, ostensibly to be close to his synagogue. My grandmother divided her time between her children’s homes.

By

This Earth One Country

‘The three Sala brothers took action during the war and post-war years. Ernest brought to Canada those family members who wished to leave Europe. Paul regularly sent parcels to Hungary to help out the relatives who remained. And Emeric wrote a book.

‘The book was called This Earth One Country. These words from the

preface show its far-reaching vision:

Events culminating in two devastating world wars are forcing a change in our outlook. ...

A world government, a supranational government, is the ultimate goal from the point of view of the needs of the people. But to work towards this, a new world-ethic is required. Such an ethic must be idealistic in its emphasis upon humanity, and practical in its ability to lessen the great divisions which keep men apart.

This book does not contain a new utopia, nor does it propose another postwar plan. Its aim is to draw the reader’s attention to the existence of a supranational community with a plan already agreed upon, which is being put into execution on a world scale.¥ [Page 87]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950’s 87

Emeric explains why he decided to write a book while World War II raged.

During the middle of the war, a young Oxford graduate who was stationed in Ottawa, came to Riviére Beaudette one weekend. He was an intellectual type, not religious, but was interested in the Faith. He asked me for a Baha'i “primer” but the type of book he wanted we did not have. We agreed that such a book was needed. Thus | began writing This Earth One Country. My income had been frozen due to wartime measures, with anything extra subject to 100% income tax. This allowed me free time to write.

The book explained how the religions in the past developed in mankind a personal conscience, by touching the heart and modifying our behaviour as individuals. Now, for the first time in religious history, the Baha'i Faith provided the means whereby this individual conscience could be translated into a collective one. Many of my talks and lectures would be based on the book.

Getting the book published was not a simple matter. Publishers, being short of paper due to the War, readily turned down this manuscript by an unknown author about a strange religion.** Finally Bruce Humphries, Inc. decided to accept the book—and to sell it for $2.50 a copy, hardcover! This letter was sent to Emeric’s agent:

| have looked over Mr. Emeric Sala’s manuscript, This Earth One Country, and | am reading it in more detail slowly and carefully. It is really a very good piece of work. It is well written and, while the market is perhaps somewhat specialized, | happen to know that a book of this sort, which will strongly appeal to Bahaists, ought to have some sales possibilities. ...

Meanwhile, please tell Mr. Sala that | am really impressed with the value of the book, and it is quite possible that much more might be done with it in the long run than the ordinary commercial publisher might imagine.*°

Emeric continues:

For reasons | cannot explain, Mr. Brown, the owner of Bruce Humphries, Boston, [Page 88]88 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

read and liked the MS and agreed to print 5000 copies (a fact for which any sensible business man would have said his head should have been examined). They might have broken even, but certainly made no money. ...

This book should have been reprinted by the Baha’is in the 1950’s, when the first edition was sold out. The Indian NSA was planning to issue such an edition. The German and the South American NSAs were considering a German and a Spanish edition. Then came the Guardian's Ten Year Crusade and a ruling that all efforts and resources should be concentrated exclusively on the Plan. Even the World Order magazine had to be discontinued.”

When the book was published, many people wrote Emeric and I have excerpted some of their comments.

Recently I loaned a copy of your book “This Earth One Country” to Mr. Henry C. Beecher of Fort Lauderdale, Dorothy Baker's father, and his comments were so interesting and unusual I wish to share them with you. He wrote:

“What a book! Especially for the stranger or beginner! Beginning on a most interesting but innocent looking note of politics and economics, he drifts naturally into world problems and leads gradually up the mountain, knocking aside the obstacles of prejudice and ignorance on the way, until he lands one, breathless and panting, at the top. There he ‘pops the question’ and performs the “common law’ marriage. If the reader fails to say ‘yes’ it is just his mistake and misfortune.”

Have just had a chance rapidly to glance through your manuscript ... and wanted to write you to say that I think it is excellent. ... so often you bring to their logical conclusion arguments which have more or less been wandering around in my head searching unified expression. ... Particularly did I like your chapter on “The Christian Individual in an Immoral Society” - which seemed to me to be the crux of the whole matter of the place and need of a social religion such as Baha’u’llah teaches. The phrases I liked too — “social legislation is no substitute for moral education.”

Last November I was told about the Cause... Then I was given your book, [Page 89]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 89

This Earth One Country. ...

I had been a law enforcement officer or a soldier all of my adult life and at the time I was given your book I was Coordinator of Law Enforcement Agencies for California. I tell you this because of what is to follow. When I had finished reading page 73, “America tried but failed to live without liquor. It had apparently forgotten...;” | was convinced of the divinity of the Prophets.*°

‘The excerpt mentioned above comes from the chapter in the book devoted to Islam. Here Emeric referred to the failed attempt by the US to prohibit alcohol use in 1919 through the National Prohibition Act. In contrast, Muhammad’s forbidding the use of intoxicating beverages still had an effect of his millions of followers some 1400 years later. Emeric wrote: “That a modern democratic state, disposing of unlimited funds, having use of the pulpit, radio, press and the police, could not compete on a moral issue with a poor, untutored camel driver of Mecca, is one of many proofs that we have not yet found the

»40

key for the reading of history. From Island Workshop Press:

We are preparing to publish a pamphlet by Leroy J. Montgomery on “The Negro Problem: Its Significance, Strength and Solution”. The author is a Negro minister, and we believe that he is making a real contribution to the study of this problem.

He wishes to quote from your book, “This Earth, One Country”...”

I have discovered this pamphlet by Leroy J. Montgomery online! At the end of the pamphlet Montgomery states: “My personal belief is that the Baha’ faith, in so far as its racial and social idealism is expressed by Emeric Sala, is destined not only to teach, but also to demonstrate to America and the

world how to solve the race problem.”

A student who used the book in a scholarly article on the Faith wrote:

I was recently asked to write an article on the Faith for the magazine [Page 90]90 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

Common Cause published by a group of faculty members at the Univ. of Chicago who are interested in world government. ... I relied to a very great extent on your book in preparing my article. Your presentation, aimed at the intelligent, thinking person, was exactly what was required in this case.

Dr. Ross Woodman, longstanding member of the Canadian Baha’ community, wrote me a few years ago about This Earth One Country and about Emeric:

I read Emeric’s book as soon as it appeared and when | met him we talked at length about it. He was so fundamentally shy and I was so moved about his stories of how he had learned to speak English by going to any meeting where English was being spoken. He worked hard on his pronunciation, not knowing that he was at the same time working on digging his own intellectual foundations deeper and deeper. English was the language that taught him the Baha’ Faith and the Baha’ Faith was the “archetypal” language he had known from birth.**

Marion Hofman in England sent Emeric a copy of a book review she had written, with a little note jotted in the corner:

I sent this to “World Order” [magazine] today, in case they haven't a review already. The book is a grand job, and I’m loaning it right and left.

Emeric Sala’s book, "This Earth One Country", reaches England on the eve of the convening of the General Assembly of the United Nations (January 10, 1946). Although written apparently before the San Francisco Conference, the book could not be more timely. All the world now knows that the institutions embodied in the United Nations Charter are far from adequate to meet the threat of atomic war. But what does the future require? ...

"This Earth One Country" is a book for our day. It speaks in practical and understandable terms to all those who are concerned with society and the direction of world events...

Mr. Maxwell wrote from Haifa : [Page 91]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 91

Before I forget it, tell Emeric that among the books I have read from cover to cover in Haifa - and I have not read a great many - was his book - and I enjoyed every page of it.*°

Ruhiyyih Khanum sent Emeric this letter, referring to his book as well as to his pilgrimage 10 years earlier:

Recently I had a chance to read your book quietly and I was so proud of you! I think you wrote it very well and it is a very useful book to give to a type we never had anything to begin with before! ...

How blessed your life has been since you sat on that blue velvet sofa in our drawing room so many years ago and were thirsty for the Cause! (I don’t mean the sofa blessed you!) To me it is a true object lesson of the words of the Bible “seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and all else will be added unto you.” It is a never failing rule — how true it has been in my life too: for however much I loved other things, I loved the Cause most and see what it has given me! ...

You know when you were in Haifa I was quite worried over you. You asked the Guardian such very pertinent questions and I felt the answers you practically forced him to give you were - for you - a rather hard pill to swallow! But if they were not what you had figured out they would be, they never-the-less did you good and carried you forward into a deeper realization of the Faith. I have had, in these ten years, more than one “straightening out” of my concepts by Shoghi Effendi and at times it was a wrench, to say the least! For only he can see the Cause as a whole and balance all its component parts; we are sure to have biases on our own pet angle of it that fits most comfortably into our individual psychology.

To go on always developing, deepening ... what a challenge that is! Mother used to put it in such a cute way: she said the Faith was a university she had been studying in for over 35 years! ...

Well Emeric dear, God bless you! And go on growing as you are - | think you are another laurel in Mother’s crown of spiritual children — but don’t get conceited!47

Finally, this excerpt of a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to Emeric refers to This Earth One Country: [Page 92]92 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

March 24, 1946

The many valuable services you are rendering the Faith—through your book, your teaching trips, and your local Baha’i work—are very deeply appreciated by him, and he rejoices to see you and your dear wife toiling so faithfully in the service of our beloved Cause. In this connection he wishes to thank you for the copies of your book which you sent him and which he placed in various Baha’t libraries here.**

As a child I was proud of having an uncle who had written a book, though I had no idea what it was about. Some years ago, while going through my own process of examining the Baha’ Faith, I found a copy of This Earth One Country in a library in Miami, Florida, where | was living at the time; reading it helped me in my personal investigation. In those days, the book could be found in libraries far and wide. Baha’i’s arriving as pioneers in South Africa found a

copy in the Johannesburg library, filed under Muhammadanism.” By &

1944 Centenary

Emeric almost did not attend the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Declaration of the Bab. On hearing he might not go, a friend, Bahiyyih

Ford, urged him, in no uncertain terms, to go.

Once ina hundred years the activities and spirit of the Cause reach a climax—lIt is the Plan of God that it should be thus—In this country a gathering together of the believers in a Convention. ...

There are crowds, there is much small talk, but these are not things to matter—we are there to learn, to serve, to drink deeply, to be ignited with the Spirit as we have never been before. To be inspired! To pray. To be ready to take up the greater tasks that lie ahead. This is our opportunity!

How can we stay away? It is like deliberately deciding to have spiritual anemia.*°

Rosemary of course was delighted, and wrote to Audrey Robarts: [Page 93]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 93

Bahiyyih Ford’s letter convinced Emeric to make the trip. He even thought of a gift for the Centenary—to visit all the countries of the Americas.”

Rosemary’s description of the 1944 Centenary was glowing:

... we walked outside to go up the steps into the Temple. ... and my heart was crying out ... for guidance to greater service; my body was conscious too of being crowded by 2000 Baha’is, as we more or less gently inched our way inside. | always thought | would have to wait to be in the other world to see so many Baha'is! The Temple was so

beautiful - ferns, palms in the centre ...” By \&

‘Travel to Latin America

A soft brown, beige and white rug made of llama wool was a gift from South America. I kept it for years until it wore out. Rosemary and Emeric made several trips to Central and South America, now equipped with the Spanish they had learned during their year in Venezuela. Wherever possible, they would visit Baha'is and their friends. In those days before television and computers, public speakers were in demand and Emeric gave many talks. Here he describes that gift offered during the Centennial celebrations:

In [October 1945] Rosemary and | left on a four month tour visiting Baha'is in every country of Central and South America, except Paraguay [due to illness]. It was all on DC3’s, which cruised at about 150 miles an hour. ... It took two days to fly from New York to Mexico City. We stayed overnight in Corpus Christi, Texas ... since there was no night flying.

We joined Dorothy Baker in Mexico City for nine days. After reading my prepared talks in Spanish | had to answer questions in my bad Spanish. Dorothy advised me not to read my talks in the future, since | could hold my audience with my bad Spanish, while | lost them when | read. ... My delivery improved from place to place, and by the time we reached Lima, Peru, | was proficient.

In La Paz, Bolivia, we got into trouble. It is the highest capital in the world at [Page 94]94 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

14,000 feet. ... The mountains around rise to twenty thousand feet and more. When we reached the airport at 6 a.m. the only pass through which the plane could fly out was fog bound. We went back to our hotel for another day, but my lecture at the University of Santiago in Chile had to be cancelled. There was a large audience, we were told, waiting.

Flying from Chile to Argentina we had to cruise for several hours through a canyon at ten thousand feet as the mountains on both sides rose to around 20,000. We had again and again the sensation that the wings will scrape the sheer rock on both sides. It was the most spectacular and exciting part of our journey. Today's passengers flying over thirty thousand feet miss it all.*

Emeric was an unusual speaker. He would talk thoughtfully, leaving pauses which allowed the listener to integrate his often complex ideas. His talks were lightened by his self-deprecating sense of humor. The early training received in the Montreal Youth Group would be put to use. A report in Baha’ World, 1944-1946 shows what Emeric accomplished on this particular trip:

In the nineteen Latin-American Republics included in their comprehensive itinerary, Mr. Sala gave seventy-nine Baha’ talks, ten over the radio, to audiences ranging from fifteen to two hundred and twenty. All possible channels of publicity were utilized to their fullest, resulting in at least forty-seven free newspaper articles, covering from one to five columns, seventeen of which were accompanied by pictures of the speaker.

While Emeric gave lectures, Rosemary provided backup support and encouragement. Her travel notes were filled with detail. Here are Rosemary’s impressions of flying in the mid-1940s, of praying in Mexico City, of the tremendous inequalities in Central America, and of Baha'is that they met:

St.Lambert, October 20th, 1945: Otto drove us to the Colonial Airways. The first part of our plane trip was not auspicious! The plane flew low because of the clouds and we pumped along rather miserably. In fact, when we stopped at Burlington for customs inspection, | was sick for the first time in my life! Emeric looked rather white too! ...

Got to La Guardia Airport ... were squashed up in a poky waiting room and finally got away by eleven thirty. Thoroughly enjoyed our trip—the plane stopped [Page 95]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 95

about every two hours. Meals were delicious. ...

Mexico City, October 26: Octavio arrived. After breakfast, he, Dorothy Baker and | walked to the Plaza Reforma to find a bench on which to sit and pray for Mexico. | said the Tablet of Ahmad, Dorothy read the powerful Long Healing Prayer of Baha'u'llah, newly translated.... Then Octavio said the Remover of Difficulties 95 times. The effect on us all was so tremendous - we were wrapped together in confident peace, as though set in a pillar of light from the world of God. The voices of vendors, or children playing, came to us as though from a great distance...

[Octavio] told us of his first Feast. He had expected that he would enter the doors of heaven and become a new being. But there was a fight over a very insignificant question of a picture of the Master. He was heart-broken and awoke at dawn sobbing. ... Then he suddenly felt himself to be in a vacuum of silence and a voice said, “It is nothing. You will become an igniter.’ Dorothy told us of her first experience on the NSA. How X told a few off-color stories and there was a fight over Temple contracts. Dorothy suggested prayer, X said, “Trust a woman to go mystic on us’. She drew herself up and insisted. After they prayed, the solution came to cable the Guardian as some kind of precedent was to be established.

San Salvador is the most pathetic distressing country to visit. Stark, ragged, dirty poverty is everywhere. The contrast after Guatemala City is appalling beyond words. No wonder there is no distinctive art to be found - a people so cracked by poverty can't do anything else but exist. The stores are filled with cheap American products, the streets filthy. ... Truly, it is a miracle that the Cause is established here - a triumph for Clarence which God alone can reward. He has been here six years and only been home once - that is true service.

... Miss Montalvo came hurriedly to the hotel to tell me that she had a note of invitation to the reception for President Rios of Chile at the University. ... | dashed about changing my dress. When we reached the University, the Hall was filled so we were too late. But we stood in the balcony. ...One saw the general public of El Salvador! Mixed in with students, mostly well-dressed, were ragged workers from the streets and ragged is a literal term. Hundreds of curious dirty ragged children pushing their way ... The President spoke. We were too far away to hear clearly, but it seems to me that everytime he mentioned the word “democracia” there was loud applause from the audience - except the army men and their cohorts. ... The young students had the brightest most alert look[Page 96]96 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

ing faces, courageous too! For moving among them, listening to comments, watching the ones who applauded were several secret police. As President Rios left there was applause, and cries from the students for “Romero”. It seems he is an exiled San Salvadoran. ... [somehow do not feel the University will be permitted to have “open doors’ again.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras: T. seems to be full of energy to give in the service of the Cause. He has a dominating nature but | was told a little incident about him which pleased us. Young Natalie [Natalia] de Chavez, the only woman Baha’ on the L.S.A. told me that T. had felt very hurt over some remark ... about there being no leaders, no directors in the Cause. He complained to Natalie. Being a wise young woman, she told him this was an opportunity for further spiritual growth for which he should be grateful. Whereupon he made a compact with her that she was to signal to him whenever she felt he was being domineering!

Managua, Nicaragua, Nov. 15: Elizabeth came at 5:30 to visit before dinner and our meeting. She told us stories of the bloody revolution staged last Saturday to coincide with Pres. Rios’ visit. It seems the government placed placards on the walls, as coming from the people denouncing his arrival but when the people tried to tear them down the soldiers attacked them. People lay dying in the streets. She told us how two Baha'is’ lives were saved because she and Gayle (Woolson) warned them not to mix in politics! Because of this warning they avoided all contact with the revolutionists. They both said, “Now we believe in miracles!”

Costa Rica, Nov. 20th: | had a very nice breakfast in bed and enjoyed the comfort of it.

X visited this afternoon. ... In speaking of Y she said something about him not being spiritually developed because he was not interested in her talk on the Seven Valleys. | imagine she has the conception of many that a “spiritual”subject relates to prayer, soul, immortality, etc. Wait until she hears how Emeric can make the subject of government spiritual! ... This same evening a meeting took place at the Theosophist center. Two speakers preceded Emeric. .. About 43 were present, including seven Baha'is. ... Poor Emeric sat through them with his eyes closed—exhausted. Raul looked across at him anxiously while | said the Tablet of Ahmad. | whispered to Emeric to speak only 15 minutes as everyone looked so sleepy. However, his first words so attracted the audience that an electric charge took place. Sleepiness vanished and how they sat up and listened! ... Emeric continued to speak for 40 minutes. There was a wonderful atmosphere and [Page 97]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 97

everyone was full of enthusiasm and interest. Raul’s face became again the face of the Centenario - all lit up. We went to sleep in that wonderful glow that always follows a successful meeting.

Costa Rica, Nov. 21st: R. came at eleven and brought (two other Baha’is) with him. They expressed themselves very freely over the situation and their hurt feelings... Emeric spoke with them very frankly telling them there was place in the Cause for everyone and that their troubles with the rest of the community lie in themselves as well as the others. He went on to say that the others needed more training of their minds and the three strong-minded ones needed more heart! They looked at us open-eyed for a moment and slowly nodded their heads.

..Then we went to the meeting—there were 52 present. The priest hurried in again and listened absorbedly as did most of the audience. Emeric spoke beautifully, very powerfully on “A World Faith and a World Plan”. He introduced the subject with the three phases of civilization as spoken of by Ortega y Gasset, then went on to ask three questions—why a Christian would not kill as an individual, but would as a citizen of the state; also, not robbing as an individual, will as a group or as a national unit; give gifts at Xmas as an individual but never as a nation. He spoke the most cleverly and tactfully on the difference between Christ’s gift of love to the individual and Baha’u’llah’s [gift of] justice to society.

In one of Rosemary’s letters, Emeric added this loving note: “My sweet wife forgot to finish this letter. She also left out the date. If she would not forget things sometimes she would be perfect. And that would be too much to bear. I love her as she is.”

‘This little flaw showed up from time to time, and we do not know the time and place of a significant visit with two refugees who were related to my mother’s side of the family. My mother’s older sister Bertha had married Willy Bergman, a refugee from Germany and survivor of Dachau Concentration Camp. One of Willy’s brothers had fled to South America. Rosemary provided the following description with no date, no location. According to my cousin, Willy would receive letters from his brother in Sa6 Paolo, Brazil, so that most likely was the site of the meeting. [Page 98]98 St. LAMBERT — 1930’s, 1940's, & 1950's

About seven, we went downstairs to pay our bill. To our surprise the office man told us that Mr. and Mrs. Bergman had called yesterday twice and stayed some time waiting for us! He never thought of telling us, and they never thought of leaving a card or note with their address or telephone number. We hopped into a taxi and dropped in on them. They live in two small rooms of an upstairs apartment, their supper of bread and coffee was on the table. Willy had not written so they did not know our connection with Willy and Bertha. They did not even know the baby’s name! She reminded us of Bertha a little - not as pretty or as young. He suffers from rheumatism as a result of his stay at Buchenwald. She works also. Thoughts of their struggles possessed me all during dinner. What a struggle those refugees have in these countries!”

Emeric wrote to Shoghi Effendi, reporting on the trip.

Dear Shoghi Effendi:

As requested in your letter of Dec. 13th which reached us in Caracas, | would like to add the following to Rosemary's detailed report.

Having visited 19 Latin American Republics, we can report that the Faith for which Mrs. Maxwell gave her life in Buenos Aires has caught root in every Latin American republic. (Although we did not visit Paraguay, we met a Paraguayan believer in Argentina, another in Uruguay, as well as two pioneers who had lived in Asuncion. We therefore, feel that we can speak for Paraguay as well.)

We have found in only six countries, communities with functioning Assemblies, which held Spiritual Assembly meetings regularly and were able to exert collective effort...

We have found nine countries with nominal Spiritual Assemblies which did not meet for lack of perseverance or of a quorum or, if they did meet occasionally, they were unable to generate a collective will, much less to transform it into community action...

Our most cheerful news is that we have found in at least 12 countries resident believers, mostly natives, with great spiritual capacity, firmly rooted in the Faith and moved by an irresistible desire to serve the Cause of Baha'u'llah. They are already taking over much of the task which was initiated by North Americans. Several of these friends, because of their linguistic and cultural background, will be invaluable for future pioneer work. [Page 99]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 99

Another notable fact which came to our attention was the overwhelming number of men among the active believers, while in North America the women outnumber the men. The same applies also to the communities.

We have also found that the Latin American believers, being mostly men, are particularly interested in the social teachings of Baha'u'llah, while the North American pioneers, being mostly women, stress the individual teachings at the expense of the former.

The striking difference between the two continents of the New World might eventually prove that neither can find its spiritual poise without the other. The common destiny of these two continents is tied together by more than a strip of land. There is a spiritual and cultural correspondence of the two Americas which Christianity was unable to exploit. Apparently this is left for the standard bearers of the New Faith.

We have met practically every pioneer in the field. They are a group of devoted and sincere souls. Their accomplishment in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties were momentous. They had to overcome also great handicaps. For instance:

Insufficient knowledge of Spanish. | know pioneers who have lived for several years in Latin America without being able to follow, much less participate in a Spanish conversation. Such teachers cause many misunderstandings. Natives also resent foreigners who live among them without taking the trouble to learn their language. Pioneers who cannot learn to speak a new language could be used to better advantage in countries where they are understood. Example and the language of the heart may be sufficient for the individual teachings of Baha’u’llah but the Administrative Order needs to be explained.

Although the Latins do not like to be taught by North Americans, especially women, it was almost miraculous to see to what extent our pioneers endeared themselves among the friends. ...

| cannot close this report without mentioning again Mrs. May Maxwell whose influence we felt throughout the journey. One of our most satisfying days throughout these memorable four months was our visit to Quilmes, one hour out of Buenos Aires. The photographs we have seen of the tomb do not do it justice. Those wings arrest and hold one’s eyes... There is nothing sad nor somber nor heavy about this monument. Those outstretched wings cheer the onlooker to new heights and bolder ventures. ... [Page 100]100 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

In all, it was a great journey, the greatest and perhaps the most fruitful we have undertaken. To have been there and seen only the “Wings of Quilmes” was in itself full compensation.

Gratefully yours,

Emeric Sala.*8

‘This response written on behalf of the Guardian anticipates the great future contributions to be made by Latin Americans. Three current examples are the Ruhi Institute, an educational institution whose approach and curriculum are being used worldwide, begun in Colombia in the 1980s; FUNDAEC (Spanish acronym for Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences) with its focus on training and development, also founded in Colombia; and, Nur University, with its many educational innovations, originating in Bolivia.

March 24, 194.6

Dear Baha’i Brother:

Your most welcome letter of March 5th was received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

The graphic and to-the-point description you have given him of the conditions you found in Latin American Baha’i Centers helped him very much to see the picture of the work there as a whole, and he feels your recommendations to the Inter-America Com. are excellent.

He has felt from the very beginning that these gifted, sensitive Latins, who are capable of being both spiritual and intellectual, have a great contribution to make to the future progress of the Cause everywhere, and he is very anxious that they should become strong enough to manage their own affairs.

He will pray that your labours for the Faith may be ever-increasingly blessed and fruitful.

With Baha'i love,

R. Rabbani [Page 101]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950’s 101

And these words in the Guardian’s own hand:

Dear & valued co-worker:

The services which you & your dear wife have rendered in Latin America are highly meritorious, & evoke my heartfelt admiration. I pray you may have similar opportunities in the near future, and that the Beloved may, wherever you labour, bless abundantly your notable activities and accomplishments. Persevere in your work, rest assured & be happy.

Your true & grateful brother,

Shoghi*#

Another letter written around this time, on behalf of the Guardian refers again to the qualities of the Latin American people:

The Latin American friends have many fine traits of heart and mind, and he believes they will, in the future, when they become firmly grounded in the World Order and their numbers multiply, contribute much to the general progress of the Faith the world over.

My own experience with Baha’is from Latin America occurred in the early 1990s when I spent some months in Romania as a pioneer. Youth from Central and South America were serving in towns and cities throughout Romania. They picked up the language almost immediately, and their warm personalities were embraced by the local people. They made a tremendous contribution. One dear friend remained, married a Romanian, and has served for

years on the National Spiritual Assembly of Romania. By \&

Visits to Eastern Canada ‘There were teaching trips in Canada as well. Rosemary would visit her

sister Margaret and family in Prince Edward Island and combine these expeditions with teaching. [Page 102]102 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

Rosemary describes a trip to Moncton, New Brunswick with Mabel Ives. Mabel’s husband, Howard Colby Ives, had been a Unitarian Minister who gave up a successful ministry after meeting ‘Abdw’1-Baha in 1912.

| was privileged to assist [Mabel Ives] in opening up Moncton to the Faith—oh, she was so beautiful, so highly brilliant in presenting the Faith, | only operated as an errand girl and felt honoured to do so. In those days, the NSA of the US and Canada felt that it could not pay teachers, except for traveling expenses. In Moncton, people flocked around Mabel Ives, not always for interest in the Faith, but for her beauty and charm. We were flooded with invitations. One day at breakfast she said to me, almost in tears, “Oh Rosemary, | am expected to sell these beauty products | carry with me to pay my expenses! When do | ever have the time? | will not sell them to those who come to me to learn about the Faith and you see how | have no free time.” | was truly horrified at her situation - she refused help, except from the small sum her daughter could send her.

One delight for Rosemary would be to see her friends, Willard and Doris McKay:

Willard and Doris came to Prince Edward Island to pioneer - bought a not-tooproductive farm but it was a joy to me to visit them, especially during the Fast. The old iron stove was hot and we all sat around it, each reading three verses at a time of the long dawn prayer. It was heaven and | am sure we'll recapture the essence of those days again. Doris told me how Willard (a lover of music and poetry, the soul of an artist) took some very menial job. They could only afford a room in New York at the same level of the elevated railway that passed by their window. Sleep was impossible; they were distracted until Willard discovered the rhythm of the Greatest Name hidden in the heart of the wheels clattering by their window! During these days in the farmhouse on P.E.I., Willard played the Caesar Franck Symphony and pointed out how the repetition of a climactic phrase was a chorus of the Greatest Name.”

In Halifax Rosemary met Annie Romer:

Annie Romer spent some time travel teaching in the Maritimes, helping also to consolidate the nascent groups. | usually went on a few weeks teaching to assist, but it [Page 103]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 103

was in Halifax | had most contact with Annie. Even now | picture her slight slim figure walking up and down the hilly, ice-clad streets of Halifax, seeking halls suitable for meetings, haunting newspaper offices with articles on the Cause, notices of public meetings.

She would explain to me the training her husband gave her. [Harry Romer] was an editor for the Associated Press and trained her in the importance of printing date, page and newspaper headings for every clipping! ...

Harry and Annie spent the years from 1926-1935 in England, a critical period for the Cause. ... Harry had introduced to the friends there the value of the right type of publicity on the Faith, giving it prestige as well as attracting the public. ... They did wonderful service for the Faith, indeed Annie told me that the Guardian had said they had re-created England ...

The Guardian wrote Annie after Harry’s death, “Harry will help you with increasing power from the other world.” This she felt. This she felt. At moments of difficulty, she would hear, with inner ear, Harry singing his own special song to her.

Martha Root, shortly before her death, wrote Annie that she had a dream. She and Harry were standing together in a beautiful place trying to get a message through to

Annie who was speaking to a large audience. By \&

Visits to Western Canada

In Canada Emeric found ways, during the war and afterwards, to integrate his business responsibilities with the needs of the Faith. The following selections from Emeric’s papers show how few Baha'is there were in the major cities of Canada, and how the numbers, little by little, grew:

When the Baha'is decided to open up Toronto, | established a branch office there, which paid for my traveling expenses. Later, when it was decided to open every province to the Faith, | would make regular trips across Canada, selling during the day and visiting or (giving talks) at night. One Sunday, | had to give three talks in the Vancouver area. Next morning, Monday, | had business appointments in Edmonton, and had to give a public talk the same evening. We were young, it was a pleasure. [Page 104]104 St. LAMBERT — 1930’s, 1940’s, & 1950's

While flying across Canada during the war on DC3 passenger planes, civilians were often bumped in favour of the military. When the check-in girls asked me if | was flying for the war effort | answered, “No, the peace effort, to prevent World War III”. Since | had speaking engagements all along | was never bumped.

Emeric gave a talk in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1939:

When | arrived in Regina, Saskatchewan, an arrangement had been made for me to lecture before the Institute of International Affairs. | remember standing on the platform, facing about fifty strangers, with no other Baha’i in that room or, for that matter, in Saskatchewan, to proclaim for the first time the Call of Baha’u’llah.®

| had always had the moral support of Baha’is in the audience. Now| had no one to lean to for support, for encouragement. | turned to Baha'u'llah, nobody else. For me it was a spiritual experience to turn to Baha'u'llah for help. | think | gave a satisfactory talk. It was perhaps the first public talk where the Baha’i Faith was mentioned in Regina. After that | often went to Regina and | have a special affinity for that city.”

Excerpts from a report of a trip to Western Canada in 1946:

| was not happy in Vancouver on this trip. Some Baha'is compromised with the teachings during the war. The others tolerated it. The result is spiritually depressing. Since all the Baha’is in Vancouver are of British stock, | suggested that they concentrate each year on one of the minority groups, like the Chinese, Japanese, Jews. If they will succeed to attract and absorb at least one of each group, their spiritual health could be restored. ...

There are only five Baha'is in Victoria. Bruce Hogg is confident to form an assembly soon. ... Both meetings, we felt, were successful. There were many genuine inquirers. Almost all our free pamphlets were taken. Even a book was sold. ...

There are now six Baha'is in Calgary. ... Doris Skinner, pioneer in Calgary since eight and a half years never looked as happy and confident as now. One of the new believers is Noel, our first Canadian Indian. Rev. Dr. M. of Hungary and his wife were our new contacts. Both showed unusual interest in the Faith and promised to study it.

| was staying at the Palliser where Mrs. Maxwell stopped several years ago. [Page 105]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 105

When the hotel manager asked whether her husband is Mr. W.S. Maxwell, the famous Canadian architect who designed the Palliser Hotel, she answered that he is her husband all right but Mrs. Maxwell never knew that the hotel she was staying in was built by her husband. ...

My heaviest engagements were in Regina and my stay of one and a half days was to end in physical exhaustion. Providentially, however, my plane was delayed four hours, which gave me the necessary sleep to restore my strength.

On this trip to Regina, Emeric accomplished the following in one day: held a press interview resulting in an article in the Leader-Post; met a former Baha'i; gave a dinner-talk at the Institute of International Relations, a club for men only, on “Latin America and World Affairs”; and finished off the day with a fireside on Baha#i Administration at nine in the evening. The next day began with a 10 a.m. visit to the first Japanese Canadian Bahai, Mr. H. Takashiba, and his wife Sunshine, “who looks close to her name”; followed by a luncheon with “a brilliant young man which might have more far-reaching results than my subsequent talk ...” In mid-afternoon Emeric spoke to 260 grade 11 and 12 students at Central Collegiate on “World Government” and in the evening, gave a public lecture on “World Peace on Trial”.

In 1949, Emeric made another trip to western Canada. Here is a draft of a report with comparisons to his teaching trips in the previous ten years.

Regina: No Baha'i was living in Regina in 1939 when the Institute of International Affairs first heard of Baha'u'llah. [Ten years later] after many trials and hardships the Regina Assembly stands firm though small in numbers. ... Leslie and Mabel Silversides of Regina have just made a momentous decision. They are going to sell their house and move to an Indian Reservation as school teachers...

Saskatoon: Mary Fry, our new pioneer with two Baha'i university students arranged a meeting which was attended by nineteen. Several left their name wishing to attend a regular fireside.

Calgary: The history of this city will always be linked with the name of Doris Skinner ... In 1939 Doris was a newcomer in Calgary. She had no one to invite to meet a speaker, much less arrange a public meeting. And now 65 attended a Baha'i public meet[Page 106]106 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

ing, while 150 businessmen were at the Kiwanis luncheon to hear Emeric Sala speak on “Civilization on Trial”...

Vernon, B.C. has the unique distinction of being Canada’s smallest isolated assembly-city. Situated in the country’s largest apple valley which harvested last year seventeen hundred carloads. Loudspeakers, spot announcements, radio interviews, placards on the street and on a Baha’i’s truck, telephone calls and newspapers were used by Vernon’s valiant community of nine (of whom three were bed-ridden) to assemble 55 people to a public meeting on a foggy night.

Vancouver has the second oldest Assembly in Canada and has developed qualities of solidarity and confidence. It featured a Baha'i luncheon for men only. Some Seattle friends operated a tape recording machine during a discussion with the purpose of sending the tapes to the friends in Japan with special greetings from Canada. It was probably

the first time that the voice of Baha’i Canada was carried across the Pacific to Tokyo. ...

Victoria, B.C. our most western city, has a community of barely nine. Yet there were about eighteen at the meeting for Baha'is, since so many live in the outskirts. Sixty came to the public meeting.

Comparing the trip of 1939 with the one just completed, we find that against the five cities visited in 1939 there were ten in 1949. Instead of eight talks, now 24 were delivered and the total audience of 250 in 1939 increased in ten years to over a thousand.

These figures may not be impressive, but the Faith is established. Its roots are set. Western Canada has a solid foundation on which thousands of years of Baha’ history can be built.”

‘The anniversary year, 1944, commemorating the declaration of the Bab 100 years before, was fast approaching, and with it the end of the Seven Year Plan. By January of that year, many of Canada’s goals had been met, but the Maritimes still were an issue. The Robarts family made an offer, Rosemary, as member of the Regional Teaching Committee of Eastern Canada, was elated. In this letter, John Robarts advises Rosemary of the family’s plan, with his well-known humour in full evidence:

January 6, 1944. After receiving your inspiring letters yesterday two people in Toronto [Page 107]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 107

put their heads together for the nth time on this pioneering subject, and the following wire was sent off to Charlotte Linfoot: “If Moncton situation desperate we will move as last resort. Please advise”.

Perhaps I should tell you who signed the wire!! They were John and Audrey Robarts. As you know, we volunteered before, but our offer was not accepted. ... lt would be a big move, taking our family of six down there and giving up a marvellous job. But ifit is the will of Baha’u’llah, that’s all we want, and I have no doubt a house will be found in Moncton, and that I will be able to make a living some way.””

Soon Rosemary replied:

January 12, 1944

Dear John and Audrey,

| cannot tell you, or Emeric either how deeply moved we were to hear of your re-decision. The final move is out of your hands but | truly feel that your wonderful, loving sacrifice has set in motion a tidal wave which will sweep over and obliterate all our problems. ...| am silenced in awe before you, stunned at the magnitude of what you have offered to Baha'u'llah.”

Then the National Spiritual Assembly of United States and Canada decided against the offer. The Robarts remained in Toronto and other pioneers moved to Moncton. Experiences like this were fairly common in those early years of establishing the first Local Spiritual Assemblies across Canada.

A further cause for celebration in May, 1944 was the completion of the Seven Year Plan with its goals for all of the Americas. Two months earlier, Rosemary had written to Rihiyyih Khanum about the Canadian goals:

March 26, 1944

Praise be to God - the Seven Year Plan in Canada has reached its objective! It was a thrilling moment for us when Emeric and | welcomed the last settler - Mrs. Netta Powers of St. Lambert with her three small children (seven, four and eight months old) - to make the ninth believer in Moncton. The ninth believer for Charlottetown arrived a few days before. We were all so exhilarated and intoxicated. It was indeed a happy [Page 108]108 St. LAMBERT — 1930’s, 1940's, & 1950's

Naw-Riiz. Mrs. Powers left St. Lambert on Naw-Rtiz. St. Lambert is feeling very happy at sending two settlers and four children out into the field. Of course we realize steady work of consolidation remains to be done. Charlottetown as yet has no native-born believers. Moncton has only five, and Halifax only two. ...

The intensity of my longing to be a settler abated somewhat when | realized Baha'u'llah had permitted me to be with Mrs. lves when she opened the Plan in the Maritimes in 1937 in Moncton and at the end when the last settler arrived in Moncton to complete the Plan. Emeric assisted in opening the Plan in the west and was the one to add the final touch of confirmation to the ninth believer in Regina. So weren't we blessed? | am happily acquiescent not to be a settler for it is as though Baha'u'llah recognized my

longing and accepted the spirit of my intention.” By \&

Beaulac

Emeric tells the story of Beaulac, Canada’s first Baha'i School, and of Bill Suter:

We visited Bill Suter, a Baha’ living 200 miles north of Toronto on “Rosemary's Farm’. He called it that way because we helped finance its purchase. Bill was a colourful person, a Swiss immigrant, who got tired of the city ... and wanted to make his living in the country. It was also his dream that when he died his farm should become a retreat for Baha'is. He worked from sunrise to sunset and got nowhere. We then suggested to him that he sell his farm, and we will buy him one in the Laurentian mountains, about sixty miles from Montreal. ... [We] and other Baha’fs will visit him in the ski season and when we both die we turn it over to the Baha’i for a summer and winter school. He agreed and within six months his farm was sold.

When Freddie Schopflocher heard about the scheme he liked it and suggested that he join me half and half. He also wanted us to buy it in the name of the soon to be formed National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada, and to start with the winter schools at once. We were delighted with the idea and proceeded accordingly. [Together with Freddie, in 1946] we bought the Beaulac farm near Rawdon and had the first winter week including Christmas and New Year, for about 18 in very close quarters. Our schedule [Page 109]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 109

was study, skiing and fun. The Rakovskys, Salas and Bill chaperoned the young. A nonBaha’i young man, Noel Ryan, ... could not understand how New Year could be enjoyed and celebrated without liquor. Afterwards he admitted that he never had nor could have conceived of a more hilarious New Year than this one without alcohol. [Noel later became a Baha’j]. After running out of water, we shoveled snow into the well, and survived.

The farmhouse was improved and enlarged, two additional cottages were built, another two wells were dug, part of the barn was rebuilt into a lecture hall, regular winter and summer sessions were held for more than twenty five years. It was also offered and used by the Canadian Youth Hostel Association.

Bill kept cows and goats, which were his special love, and sold Swiss herbs. His inseparable companion was Quinty, a lovely dog. Young people loved Uncle Bill, and he enjoyed their company. He died of a heart-attack ... while repairing his roof. His FrenchCanadian neighbours brought his body down, and the Baha'is buried it. He was over seventy, having lived the way he wanted to and being useful to his fellowmen.”

‘The January 1951 edition of Canadian Baha’t News includes an article on a winter session at Beaulac from which the following is excerpted:

A very interesting topic which resulted in much discussion was, “A new form of leadership - Group work’. Here we discussed the sponge type of personality who sits back passively, absorbing and receiving benefits, without contributing, as compared to the radiator personality who has discovered that the way to enjoy oneself to the full is by contributing to the general welfare of the group.

The Recreation Committee planned its activities with the view in mind of encouraging the development of radiators rather than sponges. It was generally observed that more enjoyment was derived from activities requiring participation rather than passive enjoyment...Informal sing-songs broke out on the least provocation. Everyone enjoyed the Beaulac yell that Bert Rakovsky devised. All were encouraged to try some skiing...”

Ask anyone who attended Beaulac as a child in those early days and you can be sure they will mention Bill Suter and his goats; playing in the fields and hills while the adult sessions took place; the delight of sleeping in bunk [Page 110]110 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

beds; trips to Rawdon Falls; some might even remember passing the prison on

the old highway from Montreal to Rawdon. Bye

‘The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada

The Bahd’is of Canada and the United States used to be administered by a single national body. Now the time had come to separate and for each country to elect its own National Spiritual Assembly. In the spring of 1948, the first Canadian National Convention took place at the Maxwell home. Nineteen delegates from all provinces came to vote. The nine members elected to Canada’s first National Spiritual Assembly were Laura Davis, Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Doris Richardson, John Robarts, Emeric and Rosemary Sala, Siegfried Schopflocher, and Ross Woodman. Rosemary and Emeric would continue to serve in this capacity for the next five years. Rosemary reflects on the relationship of this first election of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada to the first election of the Universal House of Justice that would take place 15 years later in Haifa, in the home of ‘Abdu’l-Baha:

And only once in writing a report | saw the connection between the Universal House of Justice, which was elected in ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s home in Haifa and the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada which was elected in the place that ‘Abdu’lBaha called his home in Canada. | think it’s very lovely to dwell on this relationship and to think of the significance of it. That the [National Spiritual] Assembly was formed in the home of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. ...

Rosemary recalls early National Spiritual Assembly meetings:

We went [to Toronto] about every month | figure, in the beginning and it was very heavy going. | think we were all exhausted, we usually began Friday evening and carried through for the weekend. ... And also we were not used to such concentrated activities.” [Page 111]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 111

Ross Woodman, one of the members of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Canada remembers Rosemary:

When | was in Beaulac one summer teaching a course with Rosemary, | told her (of a dream about the Bab). We were sitting on a large rock near a very small waterfall and she interpreted the dream as a birth dream. | had, she said, been born again. | shall never forget the way she talked to me that day, moving her arms in large arc-like motions that seemed to be conducting the sound of the water. It was a moment of profound bonding which | carried in me throughout our days together on the National Spiritual Assembly, Rosemary and | being what the other members thought to be the most ‘mystical’ of the nine. We were always trying to find the spiritual meaning of any problem which rather interfered with more practical matters demanding very immediate decisions. Freddie (Schopflocher) was quite bewildered by the two of us and sometimes impatient. John (Robarts) was never impatient as he circled the table by inviting each of us to speak. Then Rosemary would suggest some lovely restaurant for lunch, but quite often it was decided that we did not have time. |, of course, was eager to go to any restaurant that Rosemary would suggest.”

‘The following letter from Ruhiyyih Khanum was written a year after the formation of the Canada’s National Spiritual Assembly.

Dear Emeric:

It did my heart good to hear you and Rosemary had helped ---. The reality of Baha’i love is so much more important than anything else in the world! I guess it would make your and my spiritual mother happy too!

My book® is coming out - and I have cold feet. Did you feel this way about yours? Or are you sure of yourself and don’t get frightful inferiority sensations at such moments?

I could stand hearing from you more often. Rosemary is such a comfort and gives me so much welcome news. Tell her I have a letter to her under way.

Iam so busy. No day seems long enough to do all that must be done and the correspondence is a burden - but a pleasant one, for I know how much the Guardian’s letters mean...

I admire the Canadian N.S.A. It is near the Community and loving and [Page 112]112 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940’s, & 1950’s

natural, may it always remain on this high pillar. There is a tendency to manufacture too much tape, red or otherwise, in the administration process. Much love, Ruhiyyih” By \&

“Here is your home”

Rosemary made notes during her pilgrimage from December 1 to 9, 1952. Here are extracts:

At last one enters the Shrine of the Bab. Rich soft carpets cover the floor, the soft glow of the lamps illumine the crystals of the chandelier, the vases of flowers, the petals strewn over the white cloth on the threshold, the brilliant scarlet of the rug which covers the very core of the Tomb. ...

The pilgrims’ first dinner in Haifa is a tremendous occasion. It is then one usually first meets the Guardian. The members of the household gather in the sitting room waiting for dinner to be announced. This is a signal that the Guardian has come. ... As one turns the corner, one looks into the dining room still a few feet away ...The Guardian is seated at the upper right hand of the table, rises, and with a smile of welcome and a warm handclasp greets each friend and motions one to a place at the table. Ruhiyyih Khanum is seated on his right, the pilgrims usually sit at his left or opposite him.... When he begins to speak on some aspect of the Faith, sentence sets on sentence, phrase on phrase with such clarity and power one’s vision of the Cause seems to stretch as space does, into aeons and light years. ...

.Arriving at Bahji, that heavenly Spot, Saleh, the keeper, greets the pilgrims. At all of the Holy Places, one is touched and humbled by those who serve. They awaken an even deeper appreciation of the treasures they guard and care for. As one walks about Bahji, rejoicing over the beauty everywhere, Saleh outlines amidst the digging and planting, the new beauty the Guardian is designing. With a voice warm with love he would say, “My Guardian said this...” “My Guardian wishes that...” Then with a laugh, “My Guardian asks us to do the impossible, but because he asks it we do it!”

A simple supper is served in the caretaker’s home, with the birds flying in and [Page 113]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 113

out of the open windows as they did in the days of the Master. This is a touching link with Him, bringing the past and present together in this world as they are in God's.

The moment comes to enter the Most Holy Tomb. As soon as one steps into the entrance one has an impression of light and space and life. The living green of the trees from an indoor garden reaches up to the sky-light. ... The Tablet of Visitation stills the restless waves of one’s heart...

..One leaves Bahji after a night sleeping in the Mansion. One leaves Haifa and the Holy Land after nine days’ pilgrimage. The price of pilgrimage is to have an eternal hunger in one’s heart. ... Memory becomes one of the most precious gifts of God, for through it Shrines and Gardens blossom forever in one’s heart. Nine days are over, pilgrimage ends, yet as with all endings, means only a new beginning.”

Before going on my first pilgrimage in 1984, Baha'i friends gave me advice and told stories of their own experience. Rosemary wrote this to a friend about to depart:

Perhaps you may feel the real impact of your experience only months after you arrive home, but know that the impact will be there in every pore of your body. Don’t let your imagination try to create this power; just relax into the will of God as a leaf, a flower, a bird does! It will flow into you and through you | hope to touch everyone you meet. And remember dear that the time will come when Baha'is will not be permitted to enter the Qiblih itself, except for certain occasions, or certain individuals. As spiritual consciousness is deepened in us, we would or will not be able to bear the spiritual power there condensed in the Holiest Spot on this earth. You have heard how some Baha'is could not

remain long in ‘Abdu'l-Baha’s presence at times..." By v&

Green Acre

One day I heard that my aunt and uncle were taking Tip (the sevenyear-old son of good friends of theirs) with them to Green Acre. I wanted to go too and must have expressed this in no uncertain nine-year-old terms! As a result, | was included in the expedition. As we drove through Vermont [Page 114]114 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

and New Hampshire, with heavy rain pelting the roof of the Buick, Tip and I worked hard at memorizing prayers. Rosemary had created a competition to see who could learn a prayer first—was it the obligatory prayer? Or the healing prayer? At Green Acre we attended children’s classes. One afternoon, we were taken to Ogunquit Beach where we reveled in the Atlantic Ocean. I have a vague memory of visiting a very kind, very interesting elderly man who paid special attention to Tip and me. This must have been Hand of the Cause, Roy Wilhelm, who lived close to Green Acre. | also have a vague memory one day, of Rosemary telling us that she and Emeric would be going to a funeral, and that we would remain behind at children’s classes. Here are Rosemary’s recollections:

It was so wonderful to be at Green Acre again. We brought Tip, a seven year old boy, and llona, a nine year old girl with us. They were so excited to be in a place where ‘Abdu’l-Baha had been that when we entered the room He occupied, they walked over every corner of the floor so that they could say they had walked in His footsteps. Green Acre was the place where | was more deeply confirmed, so that the children’s joy was a fountain to me with which | refilled the well of my soul. We visited Louis Gregory the day before he died. Do you know his story? He is the Negro lawyer who became a Baha’ before the Master’s visit to America. The Master married him to his white wife, also a Baha'i. He was on the NSA for years. When we saw him, his wife was so troubled for he had refused food for several days saying that ‘Abdu’l-Baha was healing him and had told him not to eat. The next day he was with the Master after eighty faithful years, over fifty of them in service to the Faith.”

Emeric adds details:

When we visited Green Acre with you and Tip we visited Louis Gregory who was sick in bed and a few days later we attended his funeral. He spoke to us from bed and said that ‘Abdu'l-Baha is waiting for him and he was anxious to meet Him again.

We also visited Roy Wilhelm in his large summer estate not far from Green Acre. He took us around his property and tried to surprise you with all kinds of [Page 115]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 115

jokes and tricks and surprises. We all enjoyed him very much.® By

Norma

A much-loved niece, Norma Sala, was the first of the younger generation in the Sala family to become a Bahai. She did so at the age of fifteen. Norma was the daughter of Blanca (Emeric’s sister) and Nick who lived in New York. For various reasons, Norma was educated in Canada, attending St. Helen’s School, an Anglican boarding school in the Eastern Townships near Montreal. Rosemary wrote about an experience at school following her declaration as a Baha'i that showed her strength of character:

When Norma went back to school, she decided by herself that she would no longer take communion in church. This is a Christian ceremony, a very beautiful one, in which the church members eat a tiny piece of bread, and drink a sip of juice, saying that they do this to remind them of the sacrifice which Christ made ... And the Christians say, during this ceremony, the words of Christ, that they will do this until Christ returns to earth as He promised He would. What do you suppose Norma did? She told the principal that she would not take communion. The [principal] was shocked and surprised, and asked “Why not?” Norma replied, “I am now a Baha'i and believe that Christ has come again in Baha'u'llah, so that | do not need to do it any longer.” The principal then said, “But why don’t you do it with the rest of the girls? After all it is only a form, and doesn’t really matter.” Norma must have sounded a little rude, but she was very sincere in her response: “Why do you do it then if it doesn’t matter?” | was proud of Norma.”

Rosemary conveyed happy news to her friend Amine:

Our big news is that Norma offered to leave her “super” job in the States and pioneer in Verdun. She made the offer last summer, planning to arrive this summer. At Beaulac she met our wonderful young German pioneer, Klaus Liedtke. He has been pioneering in Verdun since his arrival in October. She and Klaus are announcing their engagement at Ridvan. They are both such eager and devoted Baha'is it is a joy to see and hear them plan.’ [Page 116]116 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's

It was the early 1950s - stunning that a marriage could occur so soon after World War II between two youths, one of Jewish background, and the other who had grown up in the Nazi era in Germany. The Bahai teachings emphasizing the oneness of humanity made this possible.

Norma and Klaus married in 1952, and moved into an apartment in Verdun. At the end of March, 1953, the news came that Norma had given birth prematurely. There were complications and soon after, she died. I have a few memories of that time, being with my sister and younger cousins in a darkened living room, curtains drawn against a very sunny cold spring day. But I have no memory of hearing the news. Long afterwards, I asked my father, “Who told me that Norma had died?” He thought for a minute, then answered, “Maybe no one.” The adults were in shock; at the same time, children were ‘protected’ from anything to do with death. It can be understood that we were overlooked. Rosemary again wrote her friend Amine:

| still can’t believe that Norma is not here! She would phone me twice a day, or | would phone her, echoes of her everywhere. We learn to rejoice somewhat in these memories and the closeness of her spirit. For over a week | would wake up in the morning with tears on my cheeks and the pillow damp. Then one night | had such a comforting dream: Norma walked into my bedroom in an old grey dressing-gown and got into bed with me to share my breakfast as she did so often during her engagement period, this time last year. We were talking and laughing happily together. Suddenly | stopped, looked at her and said, “But you are dead!” She continued to smile, giving a little shrug saying, “What difference does that make?” Then into the room walked Ruhiyyih Khanum and behind her May, carrying a baby’s chair. | was cross and wondered who would be permitting May to carry the chair. Then again | said, “But May is dead!” Death, our concept of it as separation, became suddenly so ridiculous that | woke up laughing!*°

Emeric often would talk about the importance of “being strong”, of developing character. In the month of March, 1953, his mother and his niece both died. I do not remember him showing emotion. However, near the end of his life, Emeric writes about this period in the early 1950s:

In 1952, my father died at the age of 77. The next year, which was the opening of [Page 117]St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940's, & 1950's 117

the Baha'i Ten Year World Crusade, mother died ...

[Three weeks later] Norma died giving birth to Keith. The shock was tremendous and paralyzed all those who were close to her. ...

But why did it happen? Why was this devastating suffering necessary? Looking back ... one can say that this tragedy touched the deepest core of our beings, and we emerged more sensitive and human. Suffering is necessary for growth, and the deeper the pain, that much closer do we become conscious of our own inner reality.®”

A few months after the death of Emeric’s father, Rosemary’s father followed. Here she writes Rtihiyyih Khanum in Haifa:

Emeric and | had just returned from my father’s funeral. He had been ill for so long, and so unhappy for even longer at the state of the world and the dissolution of his beloved British Empire! It was his whole world, and the only one he wanted. He had been completely bed-ridden for four months; my mother has retired into a foggy world where past and present are one in an effort to face the inescapable fact of Dad’s illness. We all feel that she will recover now and regain some of her old spirit and capacity to enjoy life once more. Death is truly “glad-tidings” when one has lived out one’s span and though | felt that with all my heart there is a peculiar sense of losing something of one’s physical self. It is a psychic experience. Dad became so lamblike and appreciative for anything done for him, that | feel he was prepared for the great journey.

| was speaking to Dorothy this morning; she was so eager to learn how you were, especially your father. ... D. wanted me to tell you that the chestnut tree is a glory of bloom just now, and even yet, hyacinths and tulips bloom from the ones you planted so many years ago.

Emeric describes some different encounters with death:

In the beginning of the fifties through some strange turn of events, my wife and | were privileged to say farewell shortly before their death to three outstanding Baha'is: Montfort Mills, Louis Gregory and Sutherland Maxwell. Two of them were Hands of the Cause, all three had behind them many years of distinguished and self-effacing service for the Cause. We saw them hours before they passed away, though at intervals of about a [Page 118]118 St. LAMBERT — 1930's, 1940’s, & 1950's

year between them, hundreds of miles apart. Nevertheless, we had in each case, the same strange and unique experience which we dearly treasure. We both felt in their presence something rare and precious, which we could not understand nor describe.

Two decades later, rereading The Seven Valleys [by Baha'u'llah] ... | realized that what struck and fascinated us when looking into the eyes of these three dying men was the rare privilege of a glimpse into the Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness. [the Seventh Valley]

They were lying helpless, physically broken and spent, some in pain, their earthly strength gone, all desires, possessions and opinions having become meaningless, with no will to live; and yet there was a serenity and lightness about them which put any inkling of despair or hopelessness to shame. Their complete detachment was their true poverty. They were ready and eager for the flight beyond. In each case, when my wife and | said goodbye and left them, we felt enriched and elevated. ...

Baha llth writes: God is as visible as the sun, yet the heedless hunt after tinsel and base metal.

... Until the wayfarer taketh leave of self, and traversed these stages, he shall never reach the ocean of nearness and union.*”

BE