Chapter 9

P.S. He feels that the German and Austrian believers are one in language and that the Austrian friends should consider the N.G.R. as their National Assembly, the same as before the war. We are Baha'is and have no nationalistic feelings in such matters. Our ties are purely spiritual. But you can consult the European Teaching Committee if the NGR is too difficult at present. The Guardian wishes you to know that as soon as there are a sufficient number of Baha'i assemblies in Austria she will naturally have her own NGR.

LETTER OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1947 (SUMMER SCHOOL)

27 September 1947 (Summer School)

Dear Baha'i Friends:

Your letters to our beloved Guardian reached him through Mr. ..., and he was delighted to see that so many believers had been able to attend the school at Esslingen this summer.

It shows the vitality of the German Baha'is and their intense desire to further the interests of our glorious Faith in Germany, and build up its institutions.

He urges you all, in your work for the Cause in your local Communities, to stress the need for the greatest love and unity amongst the Baha'is themselves. It is this love and spiritual solidarity that is so sadly lacking in the world today, and for which its people are starving. When they see within the Baha'i Community the true spirit of brotherhood exemplified, they will turn to Baha'u'llah and embrace His Message.

He also urges you to exert yourselves ceaselessly in the teaching field, and build up new Baha'i centers, establish new spiritual assemblies, and convert the existing groups into assemblies by April of next year.

The Cause, we know, has a great future in Germany, and he assures you all he is constantly praying for the success of your devoted labours....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear co-workers:

Your messages, eloquently testifying to the dynamic faith which inspires and sustains the German Baha'i Community, now triumphantly emerging from its long and severe ordeal, rejoiced my heart, and served to deepen my feelings of affection and admiration for its members. You who now stand on the threshold of a new era, have great tasks ahead of you and a glorious mission to fulfil. The institutions you are now initiating and developing will no doubt enable you to achieve speedily and effectively your goal. The Beloved is watching over you. His love surrounds you, and His spirit sustains and guides you. Persevere in your glorious task. Rest assured that my prayers will continue to be offered on your behalf, and be confident that Baha'u'llah will aid you to achieve ultimate victory.

Shoghi

LETTER OF 24 OCTOBER 1947

24 October 1947

Dear Baha'i Friends:

Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated Dec. 4th, 1946, Jan. 6th, March 19th, June 15th, Aug. 27th and Sept. 28th, 1947, have all been received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf. He has also received a letter, on behalf of your secretary, written by Dr. Koeller-Jager, and enclosing an English translation of your minutes. This was dated March 13th.

In regard to the various matters you have raised in these letters:

He noted the report of Mrs Grossmann about her meeting with the grandchild of Subh-i-Azal. He feels that the friends should as much as possible avoid her, as it is very unlikely she has anything but prejudice against Baha'u'llah, in view of her background.

He deeply appreciated the message of love and loyalty you sent him on the occasion of the celebration of twenty-five years of Guardianship.

He is extremely pleased to see the way the Cause is spreading in Germany, and the steady growth in the number of the assemblies there. This would be a remarkable achievement under normal circumstances, but in view of the weakened state of the health of the Baha'is and the hardships they and their countrymen are undergoing, it is little short of heroic. The Baha'is everywhere are watching the labours of their German brothers and sisters with deep admiration.

Concerning your question about forming Spiritual Assemblies this year as soon as circumstances permit, and without waiting until April 21st, 1948: he does not think this advisable. In order to encourage the German friends, so long oppressed and prevented from serving, he made an exception last year, but this year he feels all assemblies should wait until April to hold their elections. He has recently advised the European Teaching Committee to do likewise, as some of the pioneers were eager to form assemblies as soon as 9 Baha'is existed in a city of one of the goal countries!

He is pleased to hear you have strengthened and assisted the Nuremberg Baha'is, and that there are now so many there. Also he is glad to hear you are protecting them and the Cause from the misrepresentations and ambitions of Mr. ... Great vigilance and wisdom is required in such matters.

Regarding the publication of books for use in Germany in Switzerland: he feels that this is out of the question at present, owing to the fact that the exchange of Persian into Swiss money, (providing it could be made at all), would be prohibitively expensive. You would lose far too much this way. He, therefore, suggests that you get in touch with Mr. David Hofman of England, who is a publisher in a small way, and very anxious to be of help in printing Baha'i Literature. He is a member of the British N.S.A., and if you arrange some satisfactory way of having him print books or booklets for you, it will be easier and cheaper to transfer some of the money from Tihran, for this purpose, to England. The Guardian has already written Mr. Hofman he favours his doing this, if you and he can agree.

Unfortunately, owing to the fall in the value of the pound, the conversion of Persian money into American dollars involves considerable loss. In view of this the Guardian is going to instruct Mr. Varqa in Tihran to send to the American N.S.A. five hundred pounds for the purpose of buying Care Packages, which will be sent to you for your use in securing the National Headquarters.

There is, in the special Fund held in Tihran on behalf of your assembly, about ten thousand pounds. He feels you should spend a third of this on your National Headquarters. But, as mentioned above, he advises you to try and go ahead with the preliminary arrangements through using five hundred pounds in Care packages, and thus not lose too much of this money through the poor exchange at this time.

He leaves details of this matter to the discretion of your assembly, and hopes you will keep him informed of what action you have taken, and of the progress made in obtaining the National Headquarters.

He assures you all of his admiration for your steadfast labours to protect and promote every interest of our beloved Faith in Germany, and of his loving and ardent prayers for the success of your work....

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved Friends:

The spirit which the entire body of the German believers have displayed, despite the hardships and trials which they have heroically endured, and are still enduring, is a magnificent example to their fellow-workers in both the East and the West, a source of great inspiration to me, and a magnet that will powerfully attract the blessings of the Almighty. My thoughts, though I myself am immersed in an ocean of work and preoccupations, often turn in loving admiration and gratitude to those who, for more than a decade, have in the face of constant peril, held fast to the Faith of God, who have survived the greatest ordeal that has ever afflicted the Faith of Baha'u'llah in the West, and who are now forging ahead, united, resolved and consecrated, in the path leading to still greater victories.

I rejoice to learn of the preliminary steps that are being taken to enable the dearly beloved and highly promising German Baha'i Community to own its first National Haziratu'l-Quds in the heart of that sorely-tried country. The utmost effort should be exerted to complete the present negotiations, and to initiate the national activities in that centre. I will, for my part, assist in any way possible, your assembly, in the historic enterprise which it has launched, and feel confident that the Beloved will bless your efforts, fulfil your highest expectations in this vital sphere of Baha'i activity.

The dissemination of Baha'i literature, is moreover, a matter of vital importance, which must be promoted by every means at your disposal. The multiplication of Baha'i centres, the formation of new assemblies, the consolidation of newly-established groups, constitute, likewise, the primary objective of your assembly, demanding constant exertion, watchfulness and guidance on your part, as well as full support and still greater sacrifice by the rank and file of the believers.

The promotion of the interests of the Austrian believers, owing to their proximity to your country, their past association with you and their practical isolation from the Baha'i centres in East and West, should be regarded as one of your outstanding tasks, and I trust that every obstacle will be surmounted, enabling you to enrich thereby the record of your distinguished services to the Faith of Baha'u'llah.

The path you are treading is hard and stony and beset with many pitfalls. The tasks you are called upon to discharge are varied, complex, urgent and gigantic. The resources at your disposal are meagre. The hour, however, for raising the call of Baha'u'llah is propitious. The hearts of your countrymen, prepared by bewilderment and suffering, are ready to respond to His message. You stand at the threshold of a new and glorious era in the evolution of His Faith in that land. The opportunities of the present hour are priceless and may never recur again. Time is pressing. The eyes of your fellow-workers in both Hemispheres are fixed upon you. Our beloved Master who showered, through His visit and His messages to you, so much love and encouragement and so many blessings, is watching over you from on high, ready to sustain your efforts and lead you on to victory.

That you may rise to still greater heights of heroism, that you may discharge befittingly your sacred responsibilities, that you may adorn the annals of your Faith with still greater evidences of your devotion, courage and perseverance, that you may achieve your high destiny as the torch-bearers of the light of Divine Guidance to the neighbouring countries in that continent, is the object of my fervent prayers at the holy shrines, and the dearest wish of my heart.

Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 15 NOVEMBER 1947 (TEACHING CONFERENCE)

15 November 1947 (Teaching Conference)

Dear Baha'i Friends:

Your message to our beloved Guardian reached him, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf, and to tell you of how delighted he was to learn of your Teaching Conference.

Such gatherings are a great stimulation to the work of the Cause, and inspire the believers to go out and spread the Divine Message. He hopes others will be held, as time goes by, in different parts of the Country, so that many more of the friends can attend them.

He assures you all of his loving prayers for your welfare and your Baha'i work....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved aid you to extend continually the range of your truly meritorious services, win memorable victories in the teaching field, and promote, in a most effective manner, the vital interests of the institutions of our glorious Faith,

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 17 JANUARY 1948

17 January 1948

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY CUT OUT NOTE TO PRAYERS ENCLOSED IN THEIR LETTER DATED DECEMBER 19.

SHOGHI RABBANI

LETTER OF 28 FEBRUARY 1948

28 February 1948

The Baha'i Youth of Vienna

Dear Baha'i Friends:

Your communication addressed to our beloved Guardian, and dated Jan. 25th, has been received, and he has instructed me to answer you all on his behalf.

He was most happy to see that there are so many Baha'i Youth and children in Vienna. Although your number may seem small to you, it is the beginning of something very important, the beginning of the spread of this Divine Faith amongst the youth of Austria.

He, therefore, urges you to persevere in your devotion to the Cause of God, to study its teachings deeply, and to mold your conduct into the pattern of true Baha'i life.

He will pray for you all, that God may bless, guide and protect you in every way....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I was so glad to receive your message and to learn of your continued efforts in the service of our Beloved despite the severe trials you have suffered and are still suffering. You are often in my thoughts and prayers, and I will supplicate the Beloved to guide your steps, remove every obstacle from your path, and aid you to extend the range of your valued activities, and win signal victories for His Cause and its institutions,

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 1 APRIL 1948

1 April 1948

INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY HAVE INSTRUCTED AMERICA TO SEND FOOD PARCELS FOR SUMMERSCHOOL.

SHOGHI

LETTER OF 11 MAY 1948

11 May 1948

Dear Baha'i Brother:

Your communications, addressed to our beloved Guardian, and dated January 11th, February 14th, and March 31st, have been received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

The progress the Faith is making in Germany is a source of great happiness to him, and the list you sent him, showing the large increase in the number of assemblies, groups and isolated Baha'is, greatly encouraged him, and he hastened to share this good news with the friends in other countries.

He was, likewise, very pleased to see that the Esslingen School is going to be so well attended, and that your assembly is so wisely making this spot a rallying point for Baha'i Youth and their friends. Upon receipt of your letter he cabled Mr. Holley to send the food parcels you required for the Summer School, and he hopes that these reach you safely.

He is delighted over the signs of maturity which are becoming increasingly evident in the German Baha'i Community. Not only is your membership steadily increasing and the number of your assemblies multiplying, but also the fact that most of the believers are realizing the need for breaking off their church membership and standing forth as members of an independent Faith; all these are welcome signs of progress and maturity. And in view of this expansion in Baha'i membership, and the consequent rapid increase in the number of Spiritual Assemblies, he feels that from now on you should increase the number of delegates, apportioned to the German and Austrian Baha'i Community, from 19 to 38, (which is of course, twice nineteen.) This will ensure a fairer representation of the numerical strength of the Baha'is at their annual Convention, and enable the assemblies having a large community to receive more proportioned representation.

The Cause of God must be protected from the enemies of the Faith, and from those who sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of the believers, and the greatest of all protections is knowledge: there is no doubt that the silliest of all charges ever made is that the "Will and Testament" of the Master is a forgery! It is all in His own hand, sealed in more than one place with His own seal, and was opened after His death by some members of His own family, who took it from His own safe, in this house, and from that day it has been kept in the safe under lock and key. The charges of Mrs. White were the result of an unbalanced mind. No other enemy, even those who were shrewd and clever, made this foolish accusation! The case of Ahmad Sohrab is, for one who has had any experience of orientals and of psychology, easily understandable. He was, for some years the secretary of 'Abdu'l-Baha and enjoyed, as a result of this and the fact that he accompanied Him to America, (to be sure with a number of other Persians), a great deal of attention from the Baha'is who looked up to him and admired him. However, since the Master's Will was read, and the administrative order, under the Guardianship, began to be developed, he became cognizant of the fact that his personal ambition for leadership would have to be subordinated to some degree of supervision; that he would have to obey the National and local assemblies--just like every other Baha'i, and could not be free to teach wholly independent of any advice or supervision. This was the beginning of the defection which in the end took him outside the pale of the Faith: he refused not to be handled always as an exception, a privileged exception. In fact, if we keenly analyse it, it is almost invariably the soaring ambition and deep self-love of people that has led them to leave the Faith. Towards the end Sohrab used, in the course of his lectures, to incorporate quotation after quotation of Baha'u'llah's words in his lectures, without once stating they were Baha'u'llah's, and when the believers remonstrated with him over this plagiarism, it had no effect. After he had, of his own accord, left the organized body of the Faith and refused to be reconciled with it, he began to attack the administrators of it, first the American N.S.A., then the entire administrative order, and in the end the Guardian. What he teaches at present is so far divorced from our beloved Faith, and so tinged with the doctrines of many "cults" which we see thriving at present, as to be almost unrecognizable. Sohrab's influence and activities in America have waned greatly, and he seems to now feel his only chance of causing mischief is to be active with his "caravan" movement abroad. The books and articles he published attacking the Guardian and, in fact, everything established in the Master's Will, had no effect, and far from succeeding in causing any breach in the Faith in America, some of the very few who followed him out of the Cause, gave him up, and returned to serve the Cause with redoubled enthusiasm!

The Guardian feels that one of the best antidotes to those--Sohrab or others--who seek to undermine the faith of the believers, especially by harping on the subject of excommunication, is to place in their hands a German edition of "God Passes By". For in that book he (the Guardian) has clearly pointed out that the Cause of God has always been attacked from within, and that, beginning in the days of the Bab, the "Sea of Truth" has over and over cast out its spiritually dead. It must do this, even as the body seeks to rid itself of poisons so as to preserve the health of the entire organism.

Your assembly should do all it can to protect and educate the believers so that they will understand that it is not personal ill-will, or lack of love, which leads to the excommunication of a person, but rather the fact that he has become like a cancer which must be removed before the entire body is destroyed.

He is very anxious to have the work on the National Headquarters in Frankfurt a.M. reported to him, and to receive pictures of the building purchased, for publication in "Baha'i World".

The way the work your Assembly is doing is progressing, pleases him greatly, and he assures you all of his loving prayers on your behalf, for your protection and your success....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

The marvellous progress achieved in recent months by the virile, steadfast and dearly beloved German Baha'i community has rejoiced my heart, and deepened the admiration of the followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in every land, for the qualities of mind and heart that distinguish the adherents of this Cause in your country.

The marvellous increase in the number of newly-enrolled believers, the multiplication of groups and assemblies throughout the length and breadth of your land, the purchase and projected restoration of the national Haziratu'l-Quds in the city of Frankfurt, the impetus lent to the translation and publication of Baha'i Literature, the receptivity shown by your country-men to the teachings of Baha'u'llah, the consolidation of the various agencies of a steadily expanding Administrative Order in the various zones of your country--all these augur well for the complete fulfilment of 'Abdu'l-Baha's glorious prophecies regarding its future.

The doubling of the number of delegates to the next Baha'i national convention will eloquently testify to this remarkable growth and rapid consolidation of the community you are privileged to serve and direct. The interests of the Austrian Baha'i community should, while the work is steadily progressing in Germany, be vigilantly and determinedly promoted. Through guidance, assistance, encouragement, frequent visits when ever possible, the community of the believers in Austria should be nursed and prepared to discharge befittingly its sacred responsibilities, until such time, as has been the case with Canada, as it can elect its own national assembly and assume independent existence within the world-wide Baha'i community.

At this propitious moment in the evolution of the Faith in your country, at a time when the American, the British, the Indian, the Persian, the Australian, the Canadian and Iraqi national Baha'i communities are busily engaged in prosecuting specially conceived Plans for the systematic propagation of the Faith within their respective countries and beyond their confines, it is only fitting for a community as old and honoured as yours, which has survived such cruel blows, which occupies so enviable a position in the heart of Europe, the recipient of so great a measure of bounty and loving-kindness from 'Abdu'l-Baha, to formulate its own Plan, preferably a five year Plan, destined to culminate in 1953, the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah's Mission in the Siyah-_Ch_al of Tihran.

As to the objectives of the Plan, in both Germany and Austria, I feel that your assembly should carefully consider them, and after mature deliberation announce them to the believers and ensure, by every means in its power, the attainment of every goal you set yourselves to achieve.

The launching of such a Plan, after the consolidation of the institutions of the Faith, during the three years that have elapsed since the termination of the war, will constitute a landmark in the history of the Faith in that country, and will, no doubt act as a tremendous magnet, drawing the blessings of Baha'u'llah, and contributing, to an unprecedented degree, to the establishment of His Cause in the heart of Europe.

I long to hear the joyful tidings announcing the formulation and inauguration of such a Plan, which will greatly stimulate the followers of Baha'u'llah in East and West, and enrich the annals of His Faith during the opening decade of the second Baha'i century.

May the Spirit of our beloved Master, watching from on high over the destinies of this highly promising, this richly endowed community, enable it to usher in this new phase of internal development of His Father's Faith in that country, in a manner that will redound to the fame and glory of His German-speaking followers.

Shoghi

LETTER OF 28 MAY 1948

28 May 1948

DEEPLY APPRECIATE MESSAGE DELIGHTED PROGRESS URGE PERSEVERANCE FERVENTLY PRAYING GREATER VICTORIES.

SHOGHI

LETTER OF 18 OCTOBER 1948

18 October 1948

Dear Baha'i Friends:

Your letter of Aug. 29th, with translation of some enclosures, was received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.