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Bahá'í Administration
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Pages 114-118
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Letter of October 31, 1926.
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To the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of
the United States and Canada.
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Dearly-beloved fellow-workers:
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I have on two recent occasions given expression to the profound
sense of inspiring confidence and joyous gratitude which recent
happenings in the Cause--evident manifestations of the steady evolution
of a living Faith--must needs evoke in the heart of every
thoughtful and observing believer. And as I contemplate the far-reaching
possibilities involved in a careful handling of those forces
which Bahá'u'lláh's almighty arm has now released, I cannot help
reflecting upon the dominant share which the American friends, at
home as well as in distant lands, have contributed to this rejuvenation
of the Cause of God, and the decisive part it is theirs to play
in its eventual victory.
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Your letters, dated June 17, July 11, July 20, August 3 and 16,
and October 2, 1926, all of which have been forwarded during my
days of retirement and rest, have proved an added source of thankfulness,
of joy and strength to me. They have clearly revealed by
their spirit, as well as by the nature and variety of their contents,
the sustained devotion, the unabated confidence, and the increasing
vigor and efficiency with which you are initiating, coordinating, and
consolidating the manifold activities of the Cause in North America.
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The range and character of the problems confronting you, as
revealed by the careful perusal of the minutes of your meetings,
the steady increase in the number and effectiveness of vigorously
functioning Centers in Central and Northern Europe, and the growing
significance and complexity of the work that has to be necessarily
conducted from the Holy Land, have all served to strengthen the
feeling of absolute necessity for the formation in Haifa of some sort
of an International Bahá'í Secretariat, which both in an advisory
and executive capacity will have to aid and assist me in my vast and
exacting labors. I have anxiously considered this important matter
in all its bearings during the past few months, and have accordingly
requested three well-informed, capable representatives from America,
Europe and the East to visit the Holy Land this fall, that we
may lay down the foundation of this vitally needed institution. We
shall take counsel together and decide, not only upon the measures
that have to be promptly undertaken to meet the pressing demands
of the present hour, but upon the wider issues that on one hand will
strengthen the ties that should bind the International Center of the
Cause with the world at large, and on the other provide for the
preliminary steps that will eventually lead to the proper establishment
of the First International House of Justice.
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It is my earnest hope and prayer that this exchange of thought
and close cooperation in the work that has henceforth to be internationally
and vigorously conducted, will enable me to participate
more minutely and effectively in the labors of the various administrative
departments of your Assembly, and thus reinforce the splendid
efforts you are exerting for the extension of its influence and
the widening of its scope.
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From the report of the National Treasurer, setting forth the
account of the progress of the contributions of the American believers
for the support of the Plan of Unified Action, up to June 30,
1926, I gather that the result has by no means exceeded our expectations,
nay has considerably fallen below what I confidently expected
it to achieve. I earnestly renew my plea and appeal to you, and
through you to every true and faithful lover of `Abdu'l-Bahá, to
realize, while there is yet time, the far-reaching possibilities with
which the present situation is fraught. I am firmly convinced that
this Plan combines, embodies, and serves the twofold purpose of
the present-day Bahá'í administration in the United States and
Canada, namely the promotion of the vitally needed teaching work,
and the provision for the gradual completion of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár,
both wishes so near and dear to our beloved Master's heart.
It is the only effective, feasible, and practical instrument placed in
our hands for the speedy accomplishment of our ends. So much that
is vital to the future welfare, the effectiveness, and the fair name of
our beloved Cause depends, I assure you, upon the success or failure
of this nobly-conceived, this sound and befitting enterprise. The
eyes of all Bahá'ís and of many sympathizers throughout the world
are turned towards you, eager to reinforce your accomplishments in
this field, expectant to witness what measure of success you are
capable of achieving.
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In connection with the series of World Unity Conferences which
you have initiated and so laboriously organized, I feel that in order
to reap the fullest advantage and benefit from this laudable effort,
it is absolutely essential to follow up with the aid of enlightened,
experienced and capable teachers the interest which has been aroused.
Such a group of teachers should judiciously select those few among
the many interested, and endeavor with patience and sympathy and
by constant intimate personal intercourse, to prepare them gradually
for the entire and unreserved acceptance of the fundamentals of
the Bahá'í Revelation. If the results be meagre, if the attendance
be small, let us not despair, nor relax in our efforts. Let us remember
that this sound method will eventually triumph, if we only consistently
support it, and persevere in undertaking those subsequent
steps that can alone produce full and permanent benefit.
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I have already expressed my grateful appreciation of the prompt
and wise measures you have taken in behalf of our oppressed and
down-trodden brethren in Persia. The noble appeal which you were
moved to address to His Majesty the Sháh, so illuminating, so
courteous, so powerful, and the wide range of publicity you have
undertaken, were truly providential in character, and will undoubtedly
prove an inspiration and solace to those who still continue to be
trampled under the heel of an odious and inveterate enemy. I have
had your appeal translated into Persian and sent to all Centers
throughout the Orient that the suffering in Persia may learn of your
bold and courageous intervention, and witness the signs of their
promised redemption which, as foretold by `Abdu'l-Bahá, must first
be made manifest through the efforts of their brethren in that great
freedom-loving Republic of the West.
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It is sad and distressing to reflect that, notwithstanding the repeated
appeals addressed to the authorities concerned, and so powerfully
reinforced by the spontaneous action of some of the leading
Governments of the West, Persia, still heedless and unaware of the
spiritual forces that are at work, continues to treat with indifference
and contempt the most loyal, innocent and law-abiding subjects of
its realm. The chronic instability of its affairs, the changing fortunes
of factions and shadowy personalities that sap its vitality and
tarnish its name, the acute and widespread economic depression that
is now prevailing, and the grave discontent of the masses of the
people, all tend to aggravate a situation already highly threatening
to the security of its sorely tried children. What else can we do
but pray most fervently that the almighty power of Bahá'u'lláh
may soon triumph over this petty strife, this age-long tyranny, and
make, as He prophesied, of the land of His birth, "the most honored
of all governments, the pride, the admiration and the envy of the
peoples of the world."
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Your true brother,
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SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine,
October 31, 1926.
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