U.S. Supplement/Issue 83/Text

[Page 1]

"People Are Attracted Through Reading"

Is your community prepared to handle the teaching opportunities that come your way? If someone phones or writes for a Bahá’í book in order to investigate the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, can you take care of his request immediately? The average individual whose interest is sparked by the Faith wants first to read something about it in the privacy of his own home and thoughts. Shoghi Effendi himself stated that “more people are attracted through reading than by hearing lectures." Those who learn of the Faith, who become stirred by its challenge and who perhaps have no personal contact, have every right to expect that the representatives of the Faith in their own city are prepared to fill such a request.

Repeated requests coming to the National Administrative offices and the Bahá’í Publishing Trust indicate that either the Faith is often unknown locally or that the local assembly is unable to provide an inquirer with a book even when he seeks them out. The Publishing Trust must work more toward purely publishing functions —— producing the literature and furnishing it to the local communities both for Bahá’ís and for non-Bahá’ís — so that its efforts are not bogged down in too much small detail involved in such requests. Not only are these requests costly to handle, but often necessitate additional correspondence and endless details. Further, the local community is being deprived of an opportunity to serve the people who live in its midst by providing them with the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh—its primary purpose in this day.

In addition to keeping on hand adequate supplies of basic Bahá’í titles, all literature going out to the public should be neatly stamped with local name and address. All teaching and promotional efforts should also convey this information on securing books locally. The orange circular, Literature of the Bahá’í Faith (listed in catalog) was prepared so that such information could be easily and attractively provided for contacts and seekers. Each copy should also be stamped with the local source of Bahá’í literature.

Long Healing Prayer

In answer to a number of inquiries concerning the so-called long healing prayer, the beloved Guardian stated in a letter of October 25, 1947 that it was authentic but gave the following explanation as to why it is

not available in America:

“As it is one which, when rendered into English, loses much of its rich imagery, he does not feel it is suitable at present for inclusion in a prayer book, as non-Bahá’ís might find it rather strange.”

It should be remembered that Shoghi Effendi himself gave us the translations from the original of the prayers in Prayers and Meditations and most of those in the small prayer book Bahá’í Prayers, others of this latter compilation coming from Tablets of the Master and His American talks. Some time after sending the large selection in Prayers and Meditations, Shoghi Effendi wrote that the believers of the West had all of the prayers they needed for the present.

From time to time, considerable confusion is caused by indiscriminate circulation of various prayers not available in current prayer books or in any of the authenticated translations available of various Bahá’í Writings. Some of these are completely erroneous, some represent poor translations or errors of many decades ago and others are apparently a result of personal translations being made by individuals from materials they may have had or knew about when living in Eastern countries. All of the prayers and other Writings which Shoghi Effendi desired to have published in the West are currently available to all in the published literature. No individuals are authorized to take it upon themselves to translate and circulate any material, a principle which goes back to the Master Himself (Bahá’í Administration, p. 23). Any future translations of material not presently in our published literature will be done at the direction of the Universal House of Justice.

The Bahá’í Holy Days

Since the Nine Year Teaching Plan of the Universal House of Justice calls for more widespread recognition of the Bahá’í Holy Days it seems appropriate to review the statements of the beloved Guardian on this subject as published in Bahá’í Naws as far back as 1947. Prior to those statements the matter was brought to the attention of the Bahá’ís in Shoghi Effendi’s explanation of the Bahá’í Calendar which has been published on the calendar card annually since that time.

In a letter dated July 7, 1947 the Guardian wrote through his secretary:

“He wishes also to stress the fact that, according to our Bahá’í laws, work is forbidden on our nine Holy

[Page 2]Days. Believers who have independent businesses or shops should refrain from working on these days. Those who are in government employ should, on religious grounds, make an effort to be excused from work; all believers, whosoever their employers, should do likewise. If the government or other employers refuse to grant them these days off, they are not required to forfeit their employment, but they should make every effort to have the independent status of their Faith recognized and their right to hold their own religious Holy Days acknowledged.”

In BAHA’I News for May, 1948, the Guardian gave further emphasis to these laws:“He wishes the Bahá’ís to press for recognition of their right to observe their own Holy Days, and to observe them whenever possible in strict accordance with our teachings.”

As of October 1, 1964 more than ninety school districts in 31 states and the District of Columbia have given official recognition to Bahá’í Holy Days in one manner or another, ranging from a letter from the Superintendent or Board of Education to the publication of these days in the regular school year calendar. It is impossible to estimate the total number of individual schools included in these figures in View of the fact that some of the school systems are large city systems having a great many schools, although there may be Bahá’í children in only a few of them.

While always happy to give such help and advice as the local assembly and parents of Bahá’í children may require in their efforts to secure recognition of Bahá’í Holy Days and permission for children and youth to remain away from their classes on those days, the National Spiritual Assembly itself cannot undertake any action to bring about recognition of our Holy Days on a state or national scale. Public schools have more or less local jurisdiction in these matters, therefore the parents and/or local Assemblies should approach the officials of the schools where their children are enrolled and seek local permission for the children to remain away from school on the days which should be specified.

Whenever any school official or school system takes such action, the National Spiritual Assembly should be informed and should be furnished with a copy of the official communication.

Holy Days of Other Religions ,.

The Bahá’í attitude toward the traditional non-Bahá’í Holy Days was defined by the Guardian in a statement published in BAHA’I News of March, 1940: “As regards the celebration of the Christian Holidays by the believers; it is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Years, and to have their festival gatherings of this nature instead during the intercalary days and Naw-Rúz . . .”

JANUARY 1965

U.S. GOAL ASSEMBLIES AND GROUPS

A new listing of the preferred goal localities is given below, showing a few changes in the list as printed in the September 1964 BAHA’I NEWS SUPPLEMENT. This listing will serve as a guide to local spiritual assemblies whose goal is to assist in establishing a new assembly by next Riḍván and to homefront pioneers who wish to work towards a new assembly in this first year of the Nine Year Plan.

In addition to the goal groups, there are some existing local spiritual assemblies in danger of losing assembly status.

Anyone who can move to a jeopardized community or to a prospective new one, please contact the National Teaching Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.

‘ARKANSAS ‘NEW HAMPSHIRE

Little Rock Portsmouth

CALIFORNIA (N) P°t°"°°‘"°"gh San Jose-Milpitas- NEW JERSEY

Alviso J .D. Englewood

Stockton Visalia NEW YORK (E)

Babylon Township

NEW YORK (W) Amherst Township

• NORTH DAKOTA

Walnut Creek J .D.

CALIFORNIA (S/1) La Puente Santa Paula

CALIFORNIA (s/2) B‘s"“’"°"" Seal Beach OHIO K . COLORADO Mztgiggfi Boulder ‘OKLAHOMA CONNECTICUT Tulsa Meriden Jay FLORIDA OREGON Fort Lauderdale Springfield Key West Washington County Pompano Beach Sarasota County PENNSYLVANIA

Tampa West Chester ILLINOIS (S) *RHODE ISLAND

Decatur East Providence

Quincy SOUTH CAROLINA «KENTUCKY Greenville County

Lexington“ UTAH

MARYLAND P’°"°

Rockville ‘-VERMONT

Howard County Rochester" MICHIGAN VIRGINIA

Jackson Augusta County

Kalamazoo Norfolk MONTANA ‘WEST VIRGINIA

Billings Morgantown"

[Page 3]U.S. SUPPLEMENT 3

• NE§]*:§:1§A W]‘35r‘3g’]:‘::‘11(;‘TOwnship May Seebeck Expelled lrom Faith

Oshkosh Owing to continuing support of the false claims of the Covenant-breakers and attempts to undermine the .states with only one local spiritual assembly divinely ordained institutions of the Faith, the Hands u-To establish 3 group this yea, of the Cause in the Holy Land have announced the

explusion of Miss May Seebeck of Long Island City, New York, and ask that all the friends be warned that all association with her is forbidden.

National Bahá’í Addresses NOTICE Please Address Mall Correctly! In the U.S. SUPPLEMENT for October it was reportNational Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters: ed that William White was missing from his home in 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Ill. Fort Worth, Texas. The name of this individual is WilNational Treasurer: liam Parker, not William White. Will any of the friends

112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, 111. Make Checks Payable to: National Bahá’í Fund Bahá’í Publishing Trust:

who know his whereabouts promptly notify the National Spiritual Assembly.

no Linden Avenue. Wilmette, Ill. fT:;!° Nf]ti°““‘l1) ASS°"f"b(l)y is 31:’ Sgeiimf i('i‘f°§matfi°" , Make Checks Payable to: Bahá’í Publishing Trust 0 e W erea (nits 0 wen . 0 n _ H C ar ' r" or" B‘ahé,l»NewS: merly of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and more Eduofial omce, 110 Linden Avenue_W51me¢te_ m_ recently of San Francisco. Mr. _Pritchard has been Subscription and change or address; 112 Linden Ave- misusing the confidence of the friends and has made nue, Wilmette. Ill. derogatory statements concerning the Faith and the believers. I T! d NATIONAL BAHA'| FUND Local Assemblies Contributing iousan $ Monthly Income: 1964-1965 Each Monlh 80 E 350 70 E 64.5 :2 Monthly 60 Budget 300 50 § 250 40 200 30 150 20 M —10 100 . . 50 >' W >' (5 e :> u g a: as as —z §§;§3;‘§§%E'§li'.§%

“ - Regular contributions

Special contributions 8: Miscellaneous From Estates & Trusts

MAY JUNE JULY

AUG SEPT

OCT.

NOV

DEC

JAN FEB MAR.

APR

[Page 4]Bahá’í Marriages

In accordance with Shoghi Effendi’s instructions, the U.S. SUPPLEMENT reports only those marriages which are carried out by local assemblies authorized by civil law to perform such ceremonies.

The purpose of the “Bahá’í Marriages” listing is to give recognition to the legal status of assemblies, not to the marriage of individuals. Marriages which embody Bahá’í ceremonies but which are not legal under state law are not published.

Sacramento. Calif.: Miss Marietta Cooke to Harry Davis Wellman, Jr. on October 10. 1964

San Jose, Calif.: Miss Juanita McMakin to Thomas B. Cartwright on October 25. 1964

Chicago. Illinois: Mrs. Ann Hayes to Gerald W. Arp on October 23. 1964

Wilmette. Illinois: Miss Kathryn Ellen Scott to Donald Eugene Erdman on October 3, 1964

Davenport, Iowa: Miss Cathrine Ann Williams to John Howard Morley on October 11. 1964

Ann Arbor. Michigan: Miss Deloris Margaret Thomas to Herbert H. Miller on August 21, 1964

Teaneck. New Jersey: Miss Donair Drexler to Dennis R. Gallagher on September 5, 1964

Tezmeck. New Jersey: Miss Ingeborg Renate Kies to Dr. Jamshid Payman on October 10. 1964

New York. New York: Miss Sandra Kay Charlebois to William E. Smith, Jr. on October 31. 1964

Rochester. New York: Miss Mary H. Rouillard to Sidney S. Robbins on October 4, 1964

Cleveland. Ohio: Miss Karren Morgan to Dean Allen Haithcox on August 11, 1964

Philadelphia. Pa.: Miss Joan R. Rothman to James S. Hughes. Jr. on November 7, 1964

JANUARY 1965

BAHA'I DIRECTORY CHANGES ASSEMBLY SECRETARIES

Arizona Pine Springs: Mrs. Ruby Nelson, Pine Springs Trading Post. Houck (to correct spelling of city) Tempe: Miss Alice G. Tyler, 109 W. 4th St.. zip code 85281

Northern California. Sunnyvale: Mrs. Bettye Jo Hobbs, 759 Lakebird Dr.. zip code 94086

Southern California Dist. #2 Garden Grove: Mrs. Rose Feldman. 12511 Keel, 1:2 Twentynine Palms. J.D.: Mrs. Gladys Gates, 8574 Grand Ave., Yucca Valley

Georgia Savannah: Mrs. Gertrude M. Pleasant, 203 W. Park Ave.

Michigan Detroit: Dr. George H. Hutchinson. 1351 W. Grand Blvd.. 7. 8 Lansing: Mr. Steven G. Sewell. 708 S. Hayford

New Mexico Bernalillo County: Mr. Donald Hawley, 1708 Neat Lane, S.W., Albuquerque 87105

North Carolina Greensboro: Mr. F. Kimball Kinney, 1615 Woodbriar Ave., zip code 27405

Vermont Brattleboro: Miss Alta E. Wheeler, 2 Canal St., Apt. 2

NSA-STATE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Arizona Mrs. Loraine Johnson. 7439 E. Princeton. Scottsdale

Indiana. Mrs. Roberta Mitchell, 2215 Monroe Pike. Marion

in Memoriam

Shelby C. Haas Pittsburgh, Pa. November 11. 1964

Ewan Munger Los Angeles. Calif. October 12, 1964

Mrs. Winnie A. Hodson Omaha. Nebraska November 7. 1964

Aaron Rolf Waterloo, Iowa 4 October 6. 1964

Mrs. Emma Blanche Hulchings Miss Bell S. Root Denver, Colo. Marcy, New York November 7. 1964 October 10. 1964

Mrs. Wendell R. Lanc Omaha, Nebraska October 15, 1964

Mrs. Pearl Rozear Gainesville. Florida October 28, 1964

Cornel J. McClain Washington. D.C. October 7, 1964

Mrs. Estelle Youle Orlando, Florida September 29. 1964

John J. Surbeck Littleton, Colorado May 24. 1964

Mrs. Jean B. Timarac Phoenix, Arizona June 11, 1964

Eldor H. Hubin Alfred M. Roberts Madison, Wisconsin Brooks. Maine 1961 June 17, 1964

Everett 0. Smith Albuquerque, New Mexico April 27, 1964

Charles Warren Milwaukee, Wisconsin June 26, 1964

Mrs. Mary Widoc Flint. Michigan July 27, 1964

Mrs. Hazel Hanger Toledo, Ohio June 20, 1964

Mrs. Edith T. Hill Los Angeles, Calif. April 5, 1964

Mrs. Marion Hubin Madison, Wisconsin July 14, 1964

Mrs. Irene Jackson Worcester, Mass. August 1964